US military completes 12th straight night of strikes on IranBy Kanishka SinghJuly 23, 20268:27 AM GMT+5Updated 2 hours ago
“U.S. forces struck Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
In July, U.S. forces have targeted dozens of Iranian military sites on land while resuming a blockade against Iran at sea, it added.
The latest U.S. strikes lasted five hours, the military said.
The Iran war began when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 and Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases.
U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have since killed thousands and displaced millions.
U.S. troop deaths have risen to 18 in recent days.
Trump vowed on Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has also previously threatened to target energy plants and bridges.
Iran’s joint military command warned that if the threat was carried out, its forces would target regional oil, gas, electricity and economic facilities, state media said.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.
Such attacks may amount to war crimes, international law experts in the United States said in April, after Trump’s threats.
Trump’s threat that month to destroy Iran’s entire civilization also drew wide condemnation.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Kate Mayberry and Clarence Fernandez
