The US Central Command announced that its forces successfully completed the 13th consecutive round of strikes against Iran, targeting military command centers and communication networks, as US President Donald Trump plans a greater escalation of military operations.

The Central Command said Friday that the strikes targeted 'Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and naval capabilities, aimed at reducing the threat posed by Iran to civilian sailors and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.'

It added that the international waterway remains open to navigation despite recent attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stressing that commercial ships continue to transit freely through the strait with support from the US military.

The Central Command noted that more than 50,000 US military personnel are currently deployed across the Middle East.

Shortly after the announcement of the strikes, Iranian state media reported explosions in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas, a major hub for military supplies and commercial cargo.

Explosions were also reported on Qeshm Island, which houses storage for naval assets including drone boats that Iran could use to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as areas near Andimeshk, Omidiyeh, and Firuzabad in the northwest of the country, according to the Associated Press.

The US Central Command stated that the latest wave of strikes aims to 'degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian sailors and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,' as part of US efforts to restore navigation in the strategic waterway, through which about one-fifth of global oil and gas trade once passed.

In remarks to Axios, Trump said he is seriously considering resuming large-scale military operations against Iran, including strikes that would be larger than those carried out during Operation Epic Fury.

Trump acknowledged that such a decision would have repercussions, but stressed that he has not yet made up his mind and has not set a date for a decision, while two other US officials confirmed that no new orders have been issued to the military.

Trump added: 'I am studying a massive attack, bigger than ever. I am close to making a decision, and everything is ready.'

Hormuz transit at lowest level in two months

Reuters reported Friday, citing ship tracking data, that the number of tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz fell to just one on Thursday, the lowest since May 7, as risks to shipping in the Middle East continue and oil prices rise again above $100 per barrel.

According to data from analytics firm Kepler, only one tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on July 23, compared to three the previous day.

The very large crude carrier New Giant, loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basra crude, left the strait on Thursday and is scheduled to arrive at the Chinese port of Rizhao by mid-August.

No ship entered the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.

Trump said on Truth Social on Thursday that sanctioned Iranian funds held by the United States will be used to cover the costs of repairing ships damaged during the war.

He added: 'Let this statement serve as an announcement that as of now and until further notice, any and all damage to ships, cargo, or anything related, will be paid from the Iranian funds that the United States possesses and controls.'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday described the seizure of these assets as a 'dangerous precedent.'

The war of words also escalated between the two sides, with Araghchi saying Tehran will pursue a policy of 'an eye for an eye' in response to US strikes targeting its infrastructure, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a visit to the Philippines for a regional summit, responded that 'the price will continue to rise every night until they come to their senses.'

Iranian state television quoted military spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akram Nia as saying that Iran will continue to retaliate as long as the United States continues to attack its infrastructure and coastal areas.

Iran's negotiating position

Both the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) have concluded in recent assessments that the current pattern of US bombing against Iran is unlikely to push Tehran to change its negotiating position, CNN reported, citing informed US officials.

It said the assessments present Trump, who faces the prospect of his party suffering significant losses in the midterm elections scheduled for November, with 'limited options.'

One option is to escalate the war by sending US ground forces, a threat Trump has repeatedly made while talking about occupying Kharg Island or seizing Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, but such a move would contradict one of his most prominent campaign promises not to drag Americans into 'endless foreign wars.'

According to the report, the main problem facing the Trump administration is that Washington and Tehran are pursuing different types of escalation: the US relies on vertical escalation by targeting more sensitive Iranian sites and gradually expanding the scope of strikes to change the calculations of Iranian leadership, while Iran is moving toward horizontal escalation by targeting regional countries and civilian infrastructure, seeking to increase international pressure on Washington.

A US official told CNN that Trump 'is currently focused on making Iran pay for its violations of the memorandum of understanding and its continued terrorist acts in the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to the recent fall of US soldiers,' stressing that strikes will continue until the president decides otherwise, with talks ongoing between the two countries, and that 'all options are on the table.'

Politico magazine also noted that Trump's threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure may not be enough to force Tehran to back down, but rather highlights the limits of what air war alone can achieve.