Pentagon hits Iranian territory while Tehran blocks critical waterway.

United States forces launched fresh military strikes against multiple locations inside Iran following direct warnings from Washington. American Central Command confirmed these actions as self-defense measures. Donald Trump revealed that military assets deployed 49 Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike internal targets, reaching locations roughly 40 miles from the capital city of Tehran. Fighter jets also patrolled southwestern skies to dismantle radar networks and coastal defense infrastructure.

Tehran immediately initiated a fierce counter-response through its elite branches. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed its naval and aerospace units to strike 18 separate installations hosting American personnel across the Gulf. Concurrently, Iranian military commanders declared the immediate, absolute shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic. This blockade bars all commercial freighters and crude oil tankers from navigating the narrow channel.

This severe escalation directly threatens global energy security, as roughly one-fifth of the entire world's petroleum consumption transits through this single bottleneck daily. Disruptions here historically trigger immediate price shocks that impact developing economies, including fuel import costs across Indian markets.

Iranian defense officials rejected claims that high-level diplomatic phone conversations occurred with Washington. Regional commanders noted that any continued instability in the maritime corridor would result in severe retaliation across the entire Middle East. Washington maintains that operations will persist unless regional actors agree to revised diplomatic terms.