US says it's hitting targets in Iran as hostilities flare again after month with no military action

The U.S. military says it’s striking targets in Iran as hostilities flare again after a month without military action.

U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that the strikes “follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.”

On Sunday, the U.S. military said it struck rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan, which were intercepted, while the United Arab Emirates said it stopped an Iranian drone over its waters.

President Donald Trump acknowledged Monday that more strikes might be necessary.

Trump asserted that the U.S. and Israeli bombardment has left Iran “a failed nation.” He said that much of its political leadership has been killed, Iran’s economy is staggered by surging inflation, and its military is devastated.

Still, Trump acknowledged that more strikes might be necessary.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t smack them,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll see what happens.”

The U.S. and Iran have been engaged in an intermittent war for more than six months, with the recent lull in fighting lasting a month. A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has targeted U.S. military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the war began.

Iranian state TV reported the sound of explosions in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas but did not provide details.