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The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Thursday that US forces have begun implementing a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets, confirming that the operations came at the direction of the US president and will continue in the coming period.

The Central Command said in a post on platform X that US forces began at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time implementing 'more strikes' against Iranian military targets, indicating that the mission aims to 'degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.'

At 5:30 p.m. ET today, U.S. forces began launching more strikes against Iranian military targets at the Commander in Chief's direction. The mission will continue to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 22, 2026

The US announcement comes hours after rising tensions in the region, amid reports of strikes targeting sites inside Iran, at a time when Washington has not revealed the nature of the targets or the size of forces involved in the operation.

The Central Command had earlier announced the continuation of its military operations against Iranian capabilities it said pose a threat to navigation, confirming that the goal is to protect commercial ships and ensure freedom of navigation in vital sea lanes.

Explosions in Iran

For its part, Iranian media reported that a site in the vicinity of Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, was subjected to a missile strike attributed to the United States, while explosions were heard in two other areas in the south of the country.

Iran's Mehr news agency quoted an official in Khuzestan province saying that a site near Ahvaz was subjected to a US missile attack, without providing details on the nature of the targeted site or the extent of damage caused by the attack.

The semi-official Fars news agency also reported that the bombing targeted the vicinity of Ahvaz, quoting the deputy governor of Khuzestan as saying that a point in the vicinity of the city was subjected to a US missile strike.

In a simultaneous development, Fars news agency reported hearing two explosions in the vicinity of Bushehr, which houses the Bushehr nuclear plant, without indicating any casualties or specifying the causes of the explosions.

The agency also reported that several explosions were heard around midnight in the vicinity of Sirik in Hormozgan province, east of the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that the sounds came from the district of Bamani belonging to the city, according to local sources.

Iranian authorities have not yet announced additional details about the nature of the explosions in Bushehr and Sirik, nor has it become clear whether the three incidents are related to each other.

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