US Central Command announced the start of carrying out what it described as “additional defensive” strikes against multiple targets inside Iran, coinciding with Iranian reports of activating air defense systems and hearing explosions in several areas in the south of the country.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the United States is ready to carry out strong strikes against Iranian targets in accordance with its military interests, indicating that there is full coordination between the Ministry of Defense, the White House, and the American negotiating team. He added that the aim of these operations is to enhance military and diplomatic pressure to push Tehran towards accepting a new agreement.
Hegseth explained that US President Donald Trump gave Iran an opportunity to reach a settlement, but he is ready to take military options if Iran continues to refuse or what he described as “procrastination” in the negotiations. He also stressed the readiness of the Central Command to carry out additional operations under presidential orders, while continuing to update the target bank based on recent intelligence information.
The minister indicated that Washington continues to impose pressure on Iran by securing navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and protecting commercial ships and oil tankers, stressing that preventing Iran from developing capabilities that could lead to possessing a nuclear weapon remains one of the main goals of American policy.
On the other hand, Iranian media reported that air defenses were activated in Fars Province and that explosions were heard near Kish Island and in the vicinity of the cities of Minab and Sirik in Hormozgan Province. Other reports also mentioned the activation of air defense systems west of the capital, Tehran, without providing official details about the nature of the targets or the extent of the damage.
Iranian media quoted military sources as confirming that Tehran will respond immediately to any attack, and will not hesitate to take escalatory measures. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard also announced that it fired a missile at an American F-16 fighter, which it said had penetrated the airspace of Gulf waters, stressing that it was forced to withdraw.
On the Israeli side, the military establishment has raised its alert level in anticipation of the possibility of renewed confrontation with Iran, in light of fears of an Iranian response that might include launching missiles following any new American attack.
These developments come amid American reports that talked about the American administration studying limited, short-term military options with the aim of increasing pressure on Iran during the nuclear negotiations, at a time when American officials see that the recent strikes fall within the strategy of “coercive diplomacy” aimed at extracting concessions from Tehran, while warning of the dangers of the region sliding into a military confrontation.
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