US Central Command’s Wednesday wave of strikes against Iran, the first daytime strikes since the ceasefire was signed, demonstrates Washington’s continued readiness to act against the threat to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM Spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told The Jerusalem Post later on Wednesday.
“You can understand and see that US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by US President Donald Trump, the commander-in-chief,” Hawkins said.
“The president has directed us to hold Iranian forces accountable for their unwarranted attacks on commercial ships and innocent mariners crewing those ships simply trying to transit an international waterway,” he added.
“There is no excuse for Iran continuing to attack innocent civilians. We are conducting these operations to degrade their capability to continue attacking innocent commercial mariners,” Hawkins said.
Despite the expanded military activity, including daily strikes, Hawkins emphasized that the mission’s objectives remain unchanged.
“Our strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s military capability for attacking commercial shipping and innocent mariners using an international waterway in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
“We are attacking Iranian military targets and capabilities Iran has used to attack innocent civilians transiting the strait,” he added.
US says strikes are degrading Iran's maritime attack capabilities
While declining to provide an intelligence assessment of the overall threat level to ships now after days of strikes, Hawkins argued that the operation has already achieved meaningful results.
“We are making significant progress in further degrading Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” he said.
He also provided details about one of Wednesday’s strikes, against targets on Greater Tunb Island, saying US forces targeted military infrastructure on the Iranian island.
“We launched precision munitions on that island against coastal defense and cruise missile storage and launch sites,” he said.
According to Hawkins, those facilities had been used to threaten international shipping through one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
Summarizing the US’s objective, Hawkins said Washington intends to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are pushing back on their efforts to disrupt the movement and the free flow of shipping traffic through an international waterway,” he said.