Washington, July 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The United States on Wednesday launched a fresh round of military strikes against targets in Iran, escalating tensions in the Middle East after what American officials described as an attempted Iranian missile attack on US forces stationed in the region.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the operation commenced at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, describing the strikes as a direct response to the previous day’s reported attack on American military personnel.
In a statement, CENTCOM said the military action was intended as a “powerful response” to Iran’s alleged attempt to target US forces based in the Middle East.
The strikes came less than a day after Iran reportedly launched ballistic missiles towards US military positions in Jordan. According to American officials, the missiles were intercepted by air defence systems before causing damage. Earlier, President Donald Trump had warned that the United States would respond decisively, stating that Iran would be hit “very hard” following the attempted attack.
US authorities have not disclosed the specific locations or extent of the latest strikes inside Iran.
However, Iranian state media reported explosions in several southern provinces, including Hormozgan and Khuzestan. Reports also indicated strikes near oil infrastructure and on islands in the Persian Gulf. Iranian officials said residential areas on Qeshm Island suffered damage, with emergency teams conducting search and rescue operations for people believed to be trapped under collapsed structures.
The latest military action ends a brief pause in direct US strikes on Iran and signals a renewed escalation after recent diplomatic efforts failed to ease hostilities.
Meanwhile, CENTCOM also said it was continuing maritime enforcement measures against Iran as part of a broader pressure campaign.
According to the command, US forces have intensified enforcement of the naval blockade, reporting that as of July 29 they had redirected 20 commercial vessels, disabled two vessels and boarded another two.
The developments underscore Washington’s strategy of combining military operations with economic and maritime measures as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to intensify.
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