The United States military has completed its ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, following several hours of military operations that were accompanied by reports of explosions inside Iran and retaliatory claims from Tehran.
The operation began at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, when the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had launched a new wave of strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities. According to CENTCOM, the attacks were aimed at degrading military assets allegedly used to target commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
As the operation continued, reports emerged from inside Iran of multiple explosions in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, citing local residents, said blasts were heard in the port cities of Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini.
Iranian media also reported that an MQ-9 Reaper drone had been intercepted and shot down over Eslamabad-e Gharb in Kermanshah province. According to Mehr News Agency, the drone was brought down by an advanced air defence system operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force and linked to Iran’s integrated air defence network. The United States has not confirmed the claim.
Meanwhile, the IRGC claimed it had carried out retaliatory missile strikes against US military assets in Jordan. In a statement broadcast by Iran’s state media, the force said it targeted US C-17 transport aircraft and P-8 surveillance aircraft at Aqaba airport, alleging that several aircraft were heavily damaged. The IRGC also claimed that 20 hangars housing US forces at Muwaffaq Salti (Al-Azraq) Air Base were destroyed. No evidence has been released to support the claims, and US officials have not confirmed the reported attacks.
Further reports from Iran indicated that US strikes hit the town of Khormoj in Bushehr province. Tasnim, citing a local official, said the attacks caused power outages in parts of the town. Dashti County, where Khormoj is located along Iran’s Gulf coast near the Strait of Hormuz, has previously been targeted because of military facilities linked to the IRGC’s naval and missile forces.
Around three hours after announcing the start of the operation, CENTCOM confirmed that the strikes had concluded at 10:00 p.m. ET, describing the mission as the successful completion of its ninth consecutive evening of operations against Iran.
According to the US military, the strikes targeted Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks. CENTCOM said the objective was to further reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian mariners passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM said in its statement, adding that its forces “remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”
The latest operation marks the ninth straight night of US strikes as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate, with both sides reporting military action and exchanging claims across multiple fronts.
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