In a major escalation in the Gulf, the United States military struck Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, using multiple 5,000-pound (2,268 kg) “bunker-buster” bombs to target hardened installations that threatened international shipping.
The raid follows Iran’s closure of the strategic waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil flows, in retaliation for ongoing US and Israeli military actions. The strike aims to reopen the strait, which has caused severe disruption to global maritime traffic and pushed up energy prices.
US Central Command said the missile sites posed a direct threat to commercial vessels, adding that the operations successfully neutralized the danger. The massive munitions, designed to penetrate hardened targets, are among the most powerful in the US arsenal, though smaller than the 30,000-pound bombs previously used on Iranian nuclear facilities.
President Donald Trump criticized NATO and traditional allies for refusing to provide ships or minesweepers to help secure the strait, while insisting the US would continue the campaign independently. Iran, meanwhile, maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful and has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.
Source: NDTV