U.S. Launches Third Phase of Strikes on Iran, CENTCOM Says
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Washington, D.C. (Shabbir Turi) — The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it has begun the third phase of military strikes against Iran, describing the operation as a response to an attack by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the Cypriot-flagged container ship JFS Galaxy.
According to CENTCOM, one crew member aboard the vessel is missing, while fire and severe damage to the engine room have left the ship unable to continue its voyage.
In its statement, CENTCOM said Iran had another opportunity to comply with the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) following previous attacks on commercial shipping but chose not to do so.
The command said U.S. forces will continue operations to degrade Iran's ability to target civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the strikes are being carried out under the direction of the U.S. president.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commented on the latest military action, saying Iran was now "paying the price" for its decisions.
In a post on X, Hegseth shared CENTCOM's statement and wrote, "Iran made the wrong decision. Now it will pay the price."
Earlier, the IRGC Navy announced that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed "until further notice and until U.S. interference ends," declaring that no vessels would be allowed to transit the strategic waterway.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that U.S. strikes targeted Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Jask, Chabahar, Kangan, Bandar Deyr, and Asaluyeh.
Iranian state media also reported an explosion in the village of Shah Abdollah in the southern part of Khuzestan Province and another near the entrance to Deylam County in Bushehr Province. No casualties were immediately reported.
A Bushehr provincial official said there were no reported casualties from the strikes on Bushehr, Asaluyeh, and Deyr.
Iranian media added that the situation in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Jask had returned to calm following the attacks.
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