In a statement, it said: 'US forces bombed Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities.' It added that forces also struck targets in Bandar Abbas, which houses Iran's largest port and key Navy and Revolutionary Guard installations on the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States targeted defense systems and coastal missile sites in Iran yesterday after reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while Tehran threatened to disrupt more energy exports in the region and said it is in a 'war of survival' with the United States.

The escalation came days after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war, but analysts generally view that scenario as less likely.

Three US officials said the American strikes, aimed at forcing open the strait, also target Iranian military capabilities that the United States wants to destroy before carrying out more complex operations.

The US military also said it disabled an empty oil tanker that was trying to sail toward Iran's Kharg Island after ignoring multiple warnings, firing Hellfire missiles at the ship's smokestack. The military stated that since the resumption of the naval blockade on Iran on Tuesday, the United States has redirected two vessels and disabled another.

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