🎯 CENTCOM SAYS MISSILE, DRONE, RADAR AND RECONNAISSANCE ASSETS WERE TARGETED: A U.S. Central Command spokesperson told Al Jazeera: “The strikes targeted missile and drone launch sites targeting commercial vessels. We targeted reconnaissance and radar assets in Greater Tunb and the vicinity of Bandar Abbas. We have made progress in clearing mines planted by the Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz. We have opened shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz after clearing them of mines, and navigation continues. Iran's attacks on Gulf states have no operational impact on our forces. Iran is attacking its neighbors indiscriminately, endangering innocent civilians. We are ready to carry out any mission, and we currently have 50,000 troops in the Middle East.”
CENTCOM separately stated: “At 2 p.m. ET today, U.S. forces began conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran for the sixth consecutive night to further degrade Iranian military capabilities”.
⚓ U.S. FORCES ENFORCE THE NAVAL BLOCKADE: Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted a verification boarding of the tanker M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman on July 16.
CENTCOM stated: “U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, July 16. As of today, American forces have redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 1 that didn't comply, and boarded 1 to ensure full compliance with the ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran. The Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate America's steel wall blockade”.
💥 IRAN RETALIATED AGAINST TARGETS ACROSS THE REGION: Following the overnight U.S. attacks, Iran launched attacks toward Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it conducted a surprise attack against the U.S. Special Forces command center at Al-Tanf in southern Syria.
The IRGC claimed the attack destroyed a radar system and several helicopters and killed a large number of American soldiers. The claim was not independently verified in the source material.
Kuwait’s military said 32 hostile drones had entered Kuwaiti airspace since dawn and were intercepted.
“The armed forces have detected, since dawn today, a total of (32) hostile drones within Kuwaiti airspace, which have been intercepted and dealt with. The sinful Iranian aggression resulted in targeting several vital facilities in the country, and the interception operations against the hostile targets led to the fall of debris in several residential areas, causing material damage, with no human injuries recorded.”
Separate reports indicated that U.S. military equipment on Kuwaiti territory near the Iraqi border was targeted.
⚠️ IRAN THREATENS INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS THE REGION: Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi stated: “Complete security in the Strait of Hormuz will be established when the Americans are not present. If our infrastructure is damaged, then all infrastructure in the region will be our target. We insist on the withdrawal of the United States from the region, and we will never back down from the Strait of Hormuz. Since the ceasefire was announced, American fighter jets have not left the Strait of Hormuz for even one day. This continuous presence is an act of war.”
⚓ UKMTO REPORTS A TANKER ATTACK: A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 19 nautical miles east of Khasab, Oman, at 10:10 PM UTC on July 16.
The vessel sustained minor structural damage to its port side. Its crew remained safe, and the tanker continued toward its next port.
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