The US strikes on key military sites Thursday sent a warning to Iran about the scope of any potential escalation in the conflict, according to CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton.
The US Central Command said it targeted military facilities responsible for launching missile, drone and small boat attacks against American warships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A US official told CNN that strikes were carried out in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas and Qeshm.
A spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces said US airstrikes hit civilian areas along the coasts of Qeshm Island, Bandar Khamir and Sirik.
“Bandar Abbas is the naval headquarters for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and it is strategically located right at that bend in the Strait of Hormuz, so these are significant targets,” Leighton told CNN’s Elex Michaelson.
After the strikes, President Donald Trump said the ceasefire remains in effect, but warned “we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently” if Iran doesn’t sign a deal soon.
