The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Friday, July 24, the conclusion of the thirteenth consecutive night of military operations against targets in Iran. This latest wave of strikes expanded beyond the southern coastal regions to include parts of western and central Iran.
CENTCOM said in a statement that the latest wave of strikes targeted military command centers, drone storage facilities, communications networks, coastal surveillance centers, and Iran’s naval capabilities. According to the command, the objective of the operation was to reduce threats posed by the Iranian regime against civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM also stated that despite the recent strikes and military tensions, the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial shipping and that vessels continue to transit the strategic waterway freely with the support of U.S. forces.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 24, 2026
Expansion of Strikes to New Cities
As the strikes continued, field reports indicated explosions in several provinces across Iran. In addition to attacks on Bandar Abbas, Jask, Qeshm, Ahvaz, Omidiyeh, and Andimeshk, explosions or air defense activity were also reported in Taft in Yazd Province, Naein in Isfahan Province, Borujerd and Khorramabad in Lorestan Province, Khondab in Markazi Province, and Firuzabad in Fars Province.
In Tehran, air defense systems were activated for several consecutive nights in the eastern parts of the capital, including Hakimiyeh, eastern Tehranpars, and the Pardis area. Officials from the Iranian regime have not yet provided any explanation regarding the cause of the activity or the intended targets.
Bandar Abbas: Power Outage and Two Injured
In Bandar Abbas, the U.S. strikes damaged the electricity network in the Tappeh Allah Akbar neighborhood. The director general of crisis management for Hormozgan Province said operational teams were immediately dispatched to secure the area and repair the power grid, adding that electricity is expected to be restored to affected areas as quickly as possible.
At the same time, the state-run IRNA news agency, citing the head of the Hormozgan Red Crescent Society, reported that shrapnel struck several buildings in the same neighborhood, injuring two people who were taken to a hospital for treatment. According to emergency officials, both injured individuals are in stable condition.
Concerns Grow Over Escalation Along Global Energy Routes
As the fighting continued, an attack by Yemen’s Houthi movement on a Saudi oil tanker heightened concerns about potential disruptions to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. These developments pushed global oil prices higher, with the price of a barrel of oil surpassing $100.
Analysts believe that the simultaneous military pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and growing insecurity in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have turned the world’s two main energy chokepoints into a new center of crisis.
Latest Casualty Update
Meanwhile, Iranian military sources have claimed after each phase of the U.S. strikes over recent nights that they carried out retaliatory operations against U.S. military positions in the region. In the latest developments today, videos circulating on social media appear to show missiles launched by the Iranian regime flying over Jordanian airspace. The missiles are reportedly said to have targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.
