US launches strikes on Iran, intercepts missiles and drones in Strait of Hormuz
via GhanaWeb2 min read
The US military has conducted "self-defense" strikes on Iran, shooting down ballistic missiles and drones aimed at ships and Gulf countries. US Central Command Centcom stated that strikes on Qeshm Island were a response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East. Centcom also reported striking and disabling an unladen oil tanker sailing towards Iran as part of a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps IRGC claimed to have attacked US bases and helicopters in a regional country using missiles and drones, which Iranian state media reported was a response to a US strike on a communications tower south of Qeshm Island. Centcom further noted that Iran fired two missiles at Kuwait, which fell short, and three at Bahrain, which were intercepted. The strike on Qeshm Island targeted an Iranian military ground control station, and the US military also shot down three attack drones launched by Iran towards "civilian mariners." The IRGC warned that "disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the aggressive US military." The US military began enforcing its blockade of vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13, disabling six commercial vessels and redirecting 122 others. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before Congress that US negotiators have not offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for re-opening the strait, stating that any sanctions relief is condition-based and tied to Iran's nucl
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