Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters vows response after US strikes

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US Central Command said in a statement that its forces completed a new round of retaliatory strikes against Iran on Tuesday, hitting more than 80 targets in response to recent attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

"US forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor," the statement said.

"The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation. CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed," the statement added.

More than a dozen US military aircraft were seen on flight tracking data over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman early on Wednesday, hours after the United States announced strikes against Iranian targets, CNN reported on Tuesday.

The aircraft included at least 12 US Air Force refueling planes, a US Navy P-8 Poseidon intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft, and a UAE Air Force refueling plane, according to the report.

Iranian MP Mojtaba Zarei on Tuesday called for the death of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticizing his meeting with US President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Turkey.

“Death to Erdogan! That despicable man, who invites and hosts the murderer of the martyred Imam, that divine leader, in Turkey even during his funeral ceremonies in Iran and Iraq!" Zarei posted on X. "I wish I were a brave, honorable Turkish citizen so that I could send that murderer to hell through a martyrdom operation on the streets of Ankara! May God’s curse be upon him and those like him who are traitors!”

A US official said Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz were “unacceptable” and warranted a stern response, while adding that Washington would continue negotiations with Tehran toward a final agreement, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

US officials said they were surprised by the attacks, which took place amid ongoing negotiations and the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the report said.

The Trump administration has sought to establish a backchannel between the US military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but officials said the force has been slow to engage, the report added.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is expected to make his first visit to Israel on Wednesday, according to three sources familiar with the plans, CNN reported on Tuesday as the US carried out strikes on Iran overnight.

Hegseth is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, one of the sources said. The visit is partly aimed at addressing Israeli concerns over the potential sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, a proposal President Donald Trump discussed during the NATO summit in Ankara, the report added.

A US official familiar with the plans said Hegseth, who traveled with Trump’s delegation to the summit in Turkey, would break away from the delegation on Wednesday for the Israel visit.