US says it struck Iranian missile sites near Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON

The US military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on Iranian missile sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz using heavy “deep penetrator” munitions.

"Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on the US social media company X’s platform.

“The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait,” it added.

There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities on the strikes.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, with a significant portion of global oil shipments passing through it.

The waterway has been at the center of global energy concerns since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced its closure to most vessels in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks that began on Feb. 28.