Washington bombs 140 Iranian targets  , Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz, strikes US bases

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the completion of a new round of large-scale military strikes against Iranian targets, confirming the targeting of about 140 military sites inside Iran at dawn on Sunday, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the implementation of missile attacks and an intensive drone targeting a number of US military bases and facilities in the region, in a dangerous mutual escalation following Tehran's decision to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM: More than 300 targets were hit in Iran

The US Central Command (CENTCOM)  said in a statement that it had ended the latest round of military operations against Iran, in response to what it described as Iranian attacks on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

It added that US forces used precision-guided munitions launched by fighter jets, drones and warships to strike missile sites, drone facilities, naval capabilities, ammunition depots, communications networks and coastal surveillance sites.

The statement explained that US forces targeted more than 300 targets inside Iran during three nights, undermining Tehran's capabilities to threaten commercial navigation.

The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior U.S. official as saying that the new round of strikes was much broader than the operations carried out over the past week, both in terms of the number of targets and geographical area.

Closing the Strait of Hormuz and Targeting Military Sites

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has closed the Strait of Hormuz to navigation "until further notice", saying attempts by ships to cross routes it described as unauthorized constitute foreign interference. 

Iran's Fars news agency reported that the IRGC's naval forces targeted a ship it considered a violation with a naval cruise missile after ignoring warnings.

Axios quoted a US official as saying that the Revolutionary Guards fired a missile at a commercial cargo ship that was trying to cross the strait, injuring and damaging it.

Confirming the US attacks, Iranian television reported that US forces fired seven missiles targeting military bases in Bushehr province, five shells on the Dir area, and four shells on Assaluyeh, in addition to monitoring more than 10 explosions in the city of Jask in Hormozgan province, and two explosions in the vicinity of Chabahar and Qeshm Island.

The IRGC announced the implementation of attacks against US targets and bases in a number of countries in the region, including targeting Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, stressing the destruction of a command and control center and hangars for MQ-9 drones using ballistic missiles, as well as the targeting of logistical support facilities at the port of Duqm in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as military installations, communications systems and radar of the US military in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Following the strikes, Iran's parliament speaker and head of the negotiating team, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said in a tweet on the X platform that "the era of unilateral deals is over," adding that Washington "either keeps its promises or pays the price."

Gulf  defensive alert

Following the announcement of the Iranian attacks, several Gulf countries announced defensive measures to counter hostile air targets, with the UAE Ministry of Defense confirming that air defense systems have dealt with missile and drone threats coming from Iran.

In Qatar, the Ministry of Defence announced that the armed forces had repelled a rocket attack on the country's territory, while witnesses reported hearing the sound of objections in the skies over Doha. In Kuwait, the General Staff of the Army confirmed that the armed forces are dealing with hostile air targets within Kuwaiti airspace.

  Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed to avenge the death of his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as violent tensions between Tehran and Washington have continued since the outbreak of the direct military confrontation between them on Feb. 28.

These successive developments on the ground put the future of the memorandum of understanding signed last June between Iran and the United States brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, as it stipulated the reopening of the strait and ensuring the safe passage of ships before the two sides accuse each other of breaching commitments.