US Strikes Key Facilities in Iran Again Following Trump's Orders

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that, on the orders of US President Donald Trump, it launched additional strikes against several targets in Iran on Wednesday, citing self-defence. “US Central Command forces initiated additional self-defence strikes today at 5.15 pm ET [Thursday, 04.15 am WIB] against targets in Iran at the direction of the Commander in Chief,” CENTCOM stated via the social media platform X. “The strikes are in response to Iran’s unprovoked and continued aggression,” it added. Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth stated that the planned American military strikes would focus on “key facilities” in Iran. He warned that the operation, scheduled in the coming hours, would be “strong and clear.” “Central Command will be very busy tonight because President Trump said we are going to hit Iran hard, and that is what we are going to do,” Hegseth told reporters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. According to the report, Trump’s decision to escalate the strikes came after Iran shot down a US Apache helicopter earlier that week. The decision followed months of tension that began on 28 February, when a joint US and Israeli attack on Iran triggered a cycle of military confrontation, retaliatory strikes, and diplomatic disputes. Meanwhile, Fox News reported that the US military strikes were ongoing. The outlet also quoted a US official denying any naval clashes between the US and Iran, despite Iran claiming such an incident had occurred. During the early hours of Thursday, the Iranian military headquarters announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels amid rising tensions and hostilities in the region. However, CENTCOM rejected that claim, stating that commercial vessels continued to transit in and out of the strait. The command also asserted that no US warships had been hit in the Strait of Hormuz.