US launches major air and naval strikes on Iranian coast, CENTCOM says

BAGHDAD, Iraq — US Central Command announced a large-scale air and naval operation against Iran, striking dozens of military targets along the country's coast and around the Strait of Hormuz with fighter jets, drones and warships using precision munitions. CENTCOM said the targets included missile launchers, drone storage facilities, naval capabilities and coastal defense systems, and that the operation was aimed at degrading Tehran's capacity to threaten maritime traffic. US forces simultaneously reimposed a broad naval blockade on Iranian ports, according to the command. Iranian state media reported that strikes hit Qeshm and Hengam islands in Hormozgan Province as well as the city of Bandar Abbas. Iranian air defenses were activated around the Bushehr nuclear facility, and explosions were heard in the city of Ahvaz. A wheat silo in Khuzestan and a water production facility near the Iraqi border in Musiyan, Ilam Province, were also struck. Iran's retaliatory missiles and drones spilled into Kuwaiti and Jordanian airspace. The Kuwaiti Army said it had detected and intercepted one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles and 33 drones since late the previous night. Jordan's official Petra news agency reported that air defense systems had downed three missiles fired from Iranian territory.