FLORIDA: The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday (local time) said it had carried out a fresh wave of military strikes against Iranian targets, marking the sixth consecutive night of US operations against Iran.
In a statement, CENTCOM said, “Today at 9:40 pm ET, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed its latest major wave of strikes against Iran.”
According to the statement, US forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones and warships, launched precision-guided munitions against “dozens of Iranian military targets”, including coastal surveillance and air defence sites, military logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities.
CENTCOM said the operation was conducted “at the Commander in Chief’s direction” and was aimed at “further degrading Iranian military capabilities and holding Iran accountable for recent attacks on commercial shipping”. The command added that “more than 50,000 U.S. service members are operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready”.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 17, 2026
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) claimed that the United States was “winning big” in Iran, saying Americans would see the “fruits” of the ongoing military effort “very, very shortly”. Speaking during a primetime address to the nation focusing on protecting the integrity of US elections and foreign efforts to influence them, Trump briefly highlighted ongoing US military operations abroad, including in Iran.
The President said his administration had “rebuilt” the US military into what he described as the most powerful force in the world. He added that although he would have preferred not to use it, current circumstances had made military action necessary. “Unfortunately, we’re forced to use it now,” Trump said.
From the Iranian side, a senior spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces on Thursday (local time) warned that Tehran could target US infrastructure across West Asia if Iranian infrastructure comes under “attack”, while asserting that the presence of American forces is the main cause of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to statements carried by Iranian state media outlet Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, the senior spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces, said the United States and Israel had “no right” to be present in the region.
“America and the fake Zionist government have no right to be in the region,” Shekarchi said during a televised interview carried by IRIB. He claimed that the Strait of Hormuz remains secure under Iran’s control and blamed the US military presence for rising tensions in the strategic waterway.
“The Islamic Republic’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is a factor of security for the entire region, not insecurity,” he said, adding, “The reason the Strait of Hormuz is becoming insecure is the presence of the Americans.”
Shekarchi urged regional countries to cooperate with Iran, saying, “Regional countries should join hands with Iran. We will not allow any insecurity in the region”. “We can fight the enemy for years… We are still increasing our strength,” Shekarchi added.
His remarks came after a similar warning from the spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, who said that any US strike on Iranian infrastructure would trigger strikes on infrastructure across the region. In a statement, the spokesperson said, “Under no circumstances and in no way whatsoever will we allow America, as a foreign and extra-regional country, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz. This is Iran’s unbreakable red line.”
Meanwhile, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday (local time) said that the US Marines carried out a verification boarding in the Gulf of Oman as part of the ongoing enforcement of the US naval blockade against Iran and redirected 3 other commercial vessels.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said, “U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, July 16.”
U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, July 16.
As of today, American forces have redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 1 that didn’t comply, and boarded 1 to… pic.twitter.com/vbjArHuLaO
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 16, 2026
The command said that it redirected 3 commercial vessels, disabled one that didn’t “comply”, and boarded one to ensure full “compliance”. The command said, “As of today, American forces have redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 1 that didn’t comply, and boarded 1 to ensure full compliance with the ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran.”
CENTCOM further asserted that, “The Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate America’s steel wall blockade. ” The Gulf of Oman lies southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important maritime corridor through which a significant share of global oil shipments pass.
Earlier, the White House on Thursday (local time) said the Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial vessels that are not travelling to or from Iranian ports as part of the US blockade on Tehran, adding that the US Navy is deployed to ensure the continued flow of maritime traffic through the strategic waterway.
Responding to a question during a press briefing on the decline in commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating US military operations, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States had implemented a blockade that applies only to vessels entering or departing Iranian ports.
“We know that there is a blockade of ships directed by the President for ships entering and departing Iranian ports only. This has been fully implemented and is in full force. This blockade was reimposed due to Iran’s inability to honour its agreement with the United States of America,” Leavitt said.
She said the blockade is being enforced by a large US military deployment in the region. “More than 10,000 US sailors, Marines, and airmen, along with two aircraft carriers and more than 20 warships and dozens of aircraft, are executing the blockade mission as we speak,” she said. (ANI)
