Iranian media report wider US strikes early Monday

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s renewed call for revenge over his father’s killing has emboldened hardliners demanding concrete action, while raising questions over how such threats can be reconciled with Tehran’s stated openness to diplomacy.

In a message issued after the burial of former supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei described retaliation for his father’s death in a February 28 airstrike as “a national demand”, adding that it “will most certainly be carried out.”

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, recently reappointed by Khamenei for another five-year term, immediately welcomed the declaration that revenge for his slain father was inevitable.

“We will pursue and punish the murderers of the martyred Imam,” he wrote on X.

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Iran's Foreign Ministry has accused the United States of flagrantly violating both the recent ceasefire agreement and the UN Charter, saying Washington's attacks over the past 24 hours targeted Iran's transportation infrastructure, commercial shipping, cargo vessels and aviation facilities.

The ministry also accused the US of interfering with Iran's arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, saying the actions had undermined security and disrupted international commercial shipping.

"Only 25 days have passed since the ceasefire agreement ending the war, yet the US government has violated nearly all aspects of that agreement," the ministry said, describing the attacks as among "the gravest war crimes."

Tehran also said the US had used the territory and facilities of some regional states to launch attacks on Iran, warning neighboring countries against allowing their territory to be used for military operations.

While insisting Iran does not seek war, the ministry said the origin of any attack on Iranian territory would be considered a legitimate target for retaliatory strikes.

IRGC forces fired at commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz within the past hour, according to CNN, citing US military officials.

US aircraft subsequently shot down an Iranian cruise missile and a one-way attack drone, the report said.

The reported engagement came as US forces carried out another round of strikes against Iran aimed at degrading Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.

US Central Command said it began another round of strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday.

CENTCOM said the attacks were intended to further degrade Iran’s ability to target civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest strikes come amid continued tensions over shipping in the strategic waterway.

Witness reports from Iran suggest multiple explosions were heard in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas early Monday local time.

The cause of the reported blasts was not immediately clear, and there has been no official confirmation from Iranian authorities.

Bandar Abbas is Iran's largest commercial port and a key hub for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.