CENTCOM: Start of the second round of military strikes on Iran

KUNA: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday the start of a second round of military strikes against Iran, aimed at undermining its capacity to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, CENTCOM said, “U.S. forces began operations, including a second wave of strikes against Iran, today at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.” The statement clarified that these strikes target Iranian military capabilities used to threaten ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday the imposition of sanctions on an international network supporting arms procurement efforts for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran. The Treasury stated in a press release that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions “following Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz” on seven individuals and entities involved in an international network supporting arms procurement on behalf of the IRGC. It further explained that “the parties sanctioned today exemplify Iran’s use of foreign airlines, shipping companies, financial channels, and travel coordinators to conceal the IRGC’s role in illicit procurement and the global transfer of materials and personnel.” The Treasury emphasized that OFAC would continue working to “disrupt external procurement and financing networks that support the production and proliferation of weapons in Iran, which threaten Americans and U.S. partners and allies worldwide.”