US launches 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, says CENTCOM
The United States has launched a fresh round of strikes against Iranian military targets, marking the 13th consecutive night of operations, as Washington intensifies pressure on Tehran over maritime security and its nuclear programme. The latest action comes amid President Donald Trump's renewed warning that Iran will never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
Strikes aimed at countering threats to commercial shipping
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Thursday (US local time) that American forces began another round of strikes against Iranian military targets at 6:45 p.m. ET, extending Washington's ongoing military campaign against Tehran into its 13th consecutive night.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said the strikes were intended to reduce threats posed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to commercial shipping.
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"U.S. forces started another night of strikes against Iranian military targets at 6:45 p.m. ET today. This is the 13th consecutive night of strikes aimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping," CENTCOM said.
Earlier, CENTCOM also claimed that since resuming its naval blockade against Iran nine days ago, it had redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled one vessel to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas.
Trump says damages to ships will be paid using Iranian funds
Hours before the latest strikes, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that any damage caused to ships, cargo or related assets would be compensated using Iranian funds under US control.
"Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls. These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he wrote.
Trump reiterates Iran cannot have nuclear weapons
Earlier on Thursday, Trump also reaffirmed that Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, saying the United States was making significant progress in its campaign against Tehran.
"We're doing very well against the Islamic Republic of Iran--we're doing extremely well. They would like to do something, but I say they're not ready yet. They need more of the same. They've got some evil intentions. We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
He further stressed that Iran should never even be in a position to contemplate obtaining nuclear weapons.
"We cannot let them even think about having nuclear weapons and that is exactly what is happening. They will never have a nuclear weapon... This should've been done by other American Presidents or other countries. It didn't have to be us but if we don't do it nobody else will, but I will and nobody else has the capability to do it," he added.
(With inputs from ANI)