U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that American forces struck Iranian targets in response to Iranian missile launches aimed at Kuwait and Bahrain, none of which reached their targets or caused damage.
The strikes on Qeshm Island were characterized by the U.S. military as a self-defense response, according to a CENTCOM report. The ballistic missiles fired by Iran either fell short, broke apart in flight, or were intercepted by U.S. or Bahraini air defenses. No American personnel were injured, and no U.S. assets were damaged in either round of attacks, the command said.
CENTCOM also said it disabled a vessel attempting to break the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. The military released a video showing a Hellfire missile striking the engine room of a Botswana-flagged ship. According to the command, the ship’s crew had ignored repeated warnings over a 24-hour window before the strike.
It marked the sixth vessel disabled since the blockade was put in place, the military said. Another 122 ships have been forced to change course.
President Donald Trump pushed back against reporting that peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran had broken off. In a post, Trump said talks have been ongoing and issued a warning to the Iranian leadership.
“It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a deal,” he wrote, per Fox 4 KDFW.
Oil prices rose more than 1% early Wednesday as the exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran escalated, according to Reuters.
Brent Crude gained $1.05 to reach $97.05 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.01 to $94.77. Both benchmarks reached a one-week high.
