Washington, USA – The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced at 5:30 AM Iran time on Wednesday that it had carried out a series of intensive and precise airstrikes targeting dozens of vital targets belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
US-led strikes on Iran
In an official statement, CENTCOM explained that these extensive military strikes were a direct and decisive response to a failed and unexpected missile attack targeting US forces stationed in the Middle East the previous day. The US command confirmed that the targets included military command and control centers, strategic missile and drone facilities, coastal defense sites and surveillance systems, as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval assets and vessels.
In the related field context, defense reports indicated that more than fifty thousand American soldiers deployed in various bases across the Middle East have been placed on high alert in anticipation of any possible repercussions or retaliatory attacks from the Iranian side.
Strict financial sanctions targeting Tehran’s economic arteries
In parallel with the intense military strikes, the US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday a new and stringent round of economic sanctions targeting Iran. This punitive package is primarily aimed at undermining Tehran’s efforts to “derive illicit financial gains from the Strait of Hormuz” and to manage it in a way that threatens international navigation.
The new sanctions included blacklisting 10 economic entities and eight supertankers, disrupting the supply and financing networks of influential Iranian institutions. In a detailed statement published on its official website, the US Treasury Department highlighted important geographical details concerning the sanctioned entities, revealing that six of them are headquartered in the People’s Republic of China. This adds an international dimension to Iran’s financial circumvention network and expands the scope of Western economic pressure on business activities related to Iran’s energy sector.
