US Central Command — military organization conducting strikes against Iran and Iranian-backed forces in the Middle East, leading 2026 escalation campaign.
US forces struck five Iranian tankers in response to Tehran twice targeting an American warship over the past two days, US Central Command (Centcom) said. …
… US Central Command (Centcom) said US strikes on Iran followed “recent attempted attacks” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. …
… US Central Command (Centcom) said it took “limited, precise action” after observing Iran preparing to “launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz”, according to its spokesperson. …
… US Central Command said its forces had taken “limited, precise action” against “minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz”. …
… US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were against “Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure”. …
… US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were against “Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure”. …
… The attack occurred at 17:45 EDT (21:45 GMT) on Tuesday, and all missiles were “successfully intercepted”, said US Central Command, without specifying the locations of any targets. …
… US Central Command (Centcom) said it had targeted “Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities”. …
The last British and American forces have departed Iraq, ending their military presence that began in 2014 as part of an international coalition to defeat the Islamic State group. The withdrawal follows a two-year-old agreement between the US and Iraqi government and brings Operation Inherent Resolve to a close, with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi marking it as Iraq's transition to assuming full responsibility for its own security.
The last British and American forces have departed Iraq, ending their military presence that began in 2014 as part of an international coalition to defeat the Islamic State group. The withdrawal follows a two-year-old agreement between the US and Iraqi government and brings Operation Inherent Resolve to a close, with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi marking it as Iraq's transition to assuming full responsibility for its own security.
Brent crude climbed past $100 a barrel on Wednesday, driven by fresh US-Iran strikes and continuing Houthi attacks on Saudi facilities and Red Sea tankers. The price reflects the highest level since the Iran-US ceasefire collapsed in late July.
US Central Command struck five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island in response to Iranian attacks on an American warship. Tehran then launched 20 missiles at a US base in Jordan, of which Jordan said it shot down 18, with two falling in unpopulated areas.
Iran launched ballistic missile attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Jordan following American strikes that killed four people, including a child, in a home during a wedding celebration in Sirik, southern Iran. The Jordanian Armed Forces said it intercepted 13 ballistic missiles with no resulting deaths or injuries, while Iran's semi-official media reported the retaliation was in response to the US attack on the wedding site.
American forces attacked two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, killing and injuring people according to Iran's IRGC, which vowed "response and punishment." Iran responded by striking US military bases in Jordan, with Jordan intercepting eight missiles, and claimed to have targeted an air base in the UAE with drones, though the UAE denied being targeted and confirmed only shooting down a drone.
American forces struck two launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, killing two people and injuring two others according to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which vowed "response and punishment." Iran subsequently attacked US military bases in Jordan, and President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will deliver a "decisive response to the aggressors."
Saudi Arabia and the US carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, with Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces reporting at least 20 members killed. The strikes followed an Iranian missile attack on US forces in the Middle East that was said to have been intercepted.
Saudi Arabia and the US have carried out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq in response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours, escalating Middle East tensions after Iran launched missiles at US forces.
Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles in an attempted surprise attack on US forces in the Middle East on Tuesday, with the US military saying all missiles were successfully intercepted. The strike broke a three-day lull in hostilities between the two countries, which had been intended to restart negotiations.
The US military has conducted strikes on Iran for the 13th consecutive night, with Iranian state media reporting four killed and five injured. President Trump said he would use frozen Iranian assets to fund damage to ships caused by attacks, while Iran's Foreign Minister condemned the threat as an incendiary precedent.
Yemen's Houthi fighters have attacked shipping in the Red Sea, forcing vessels to turn back from the Bab El Mandeb strait and threatening to disrupt the main maritime route from Europe to Asia. The attacks come amid escalating US-Iran strikes and a Saudi-nuclear deal that has raised regional tensions.
The US military struck Iranian military command centres, maritime capabilities, and air defence systems in the 10th consecutive night of attacks, as President Trump vowed retaliation for three US soldiers killed in Jordan and Iraq. Iran's President Pezeshkian said the country is fighting a "full-scale war" with the US and claimed Iranian forces struck two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump said the latest US strikes hit Iran "very hard" in honour of three US soldiers killed in recent days—two in Jordan and one in Iraq. US Central Command launched strikes for the ninth consecutive night targeting Iranian military sites and communications networks.
The US launched air strikes against Iranian coastal surveillance and air defence facilities on Saturday, targeting Revolutionary Guards units responsible for an attack in Jordan that killed two US troops and left another missing. Iran's military responded with drone attacks on two US bases in Kuwait, escalating a cycle of tit-for-tat strikes in recent days.
Two US service members were killed and one remains missing following Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan on Friday. Jordan's military intercepted 10 Iranian missiles fired into its airspace, and the US military carried out its seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran since President Donald Trump declared their temporary ceasefire agreement "over."
Iran has accused the US of hitting civilian infrastructure including bridges, a train station and an airport in air strikes since peace talks collapsed. BBC Verify confirmed an attack on a bridge in Hormozgan province, and provincial authorities said seven people were killed on Thursday night.
Iran has accused the US of hitting civilian infrastructure including bridges, a train station and an airport in air strikes since peace talks collapsed. US Central Command says the attacks were intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities, and seven people were killed in strikes on Thursday night according to provincial authorities.
The US launched new strikes against Iran for a sixth consecutive night, with Centcom saying the attacks aimed to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities" and that US forces had boarded vessels as part of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's state media reported US missiles struck near the island of Qeshm, in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr (site of a nuclear power plant), and hit two bridges in Hormozgan province, with the BBC verifying an attack on one bridge west of Bandar Abbas.
The US attacked the oil tanker Belma with Hellfire missiles as it headed toward Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal, after President Trump reintroduced a blockade of Iranian ports in response to alleged Iranian attacks on commercial vessels.
US President Trump threatened to strike Iran's bridges and power plants next week if the country does not return to talks, as the two countries exchanged fire for the fourth consecutive day. The threats, which have drawn UN condemnation as potential war crimes under international law, came as Trump reversed a threatened 20% fee on Strait of Hormuz shipping but maintained a blockade of Iranian ports.
President Trump has reversed his threat of a 20% fee on Strait of Hormuz cargo, replacing it with plans for "massive" trade and investment deals with Gulf states, as the US resumes blockade of Iranian ports and launches fresh strikes against Iran, causing tanker traffic through the strategic waterway to slow dramatically.
The UAE accused Iran of attacking two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, killing one and wounding eight crew members. The US launched fresh strikes as tensions escalate, with Trump announcing a 20% charge on the waterway, while Iran said it would remain the Strait's guardian.
President Trump announced the US is reinstating a naval blockade of Iranian ports and will impose a 20% charge on all cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, following recent military strikes between the US and Iran. The blockade takes effect Tuesday at 16:00 Eastern Time, while Iran's foreign minister countered that whoever provides safe passage should be compensated and that Iran remains the strait's guardian.
President Trump announced that the US is reinstating a blockade of Iran's shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following weekend US strikes on Iranian targets, and will charge a 20% reimbursement rate on all cargo shipped through the waterway for security costs.
The US says the Strait of Hormuz remains open while Iran claims it has closed the waterway following renewed hostilities. The US struck over 140 targets across Iran on Saturday in response to Iranian forces hitting a ship; Iran's IRGC launched wide-ranging attacks on US bases and regional allies on Sunday, and Centcom announced another round of strikes.
The US struck over 140 targets across Iran, saying Iran had hit a ship in the Strait of Hormuz; Iran responded with wide-ranging attacks on US bases and allies across the region, claiming it closed the waterway, though the US insists it remains open. The escalation jeopardizes an interim ceasefire agreement signed last month.
The US said it carried out a fresh wave of strikes on Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Cyprus-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says it has closed the waterway until further notice after the ship turned off its systems and diverted from the approved route.
The US and Iran continued trading military strikes Thursday, with the US hitting 90 military targets and Iran reporting 14 killed over two days and launching strikes on US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Iraq. Simultaneously, massive crowds gathered in Iran's Mashhad as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was buried after six days of funeral events.
The US and Iran have traded strikes for a second night, with the US military striking some 90 military targets near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities report 14 people killed in the past two days, and shipping through the Strait has declined sharply as observers report a "dramatic" drop in vessel traffic.
US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire agreement with Iran is "over" following fresh exchanges of fire on Tuesday and Wednesday, describing Iran's leadership as "scum" and dismissing further negotiations as "a waste of time." Oil prices spiked by around 6% after the strikes and Trump's comments, while the US revoked its temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.