US military says it is striking targets in Iran - Reuters

**U.S. Military Confirms Air Strikes Inside Iran Amid Rising Tensions**

Washington’s Central Command announced on Tuesday that U.S. forces have begun a series of air strikes against “legitimate military targets” inside Iran, marking the first direct kinetic response by the United States to a wave of attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes follow a series of missile and drone assaults on tankers that the U.S. and its allies say were launched from Iranian‑backed militia groups operating from Iranian territory. According to a statement from the Pentagon, the operations are intended to degrade Iran’s ability to launch further attacks and to protect the free flow of oil through the strategically vital waterway.

The escalation comes after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on vessels, which have raised global oil prices and prompted heightened alerts from maritime authorities. In response, the United States deployed fighter jets and precision‑guided munitions from regional bases, targeting what it described as “command and control installations, weapons depots, and missile launch sites” within Iran’s western provinces. Iranian officials have condemned the strikes as an act of aggression, vowing retaliation, while Tehran’s foreign ministry warned that the U.S. action could trigger a broader regional conflict.

Diplomats in Washington and Tehran are scrambling to contain the crisis. Senior State Department officials have urged restraint, emphasizing that the United States remains open to diplomatic solutions, but they also signaled that any further attacks on U.S. interests or allied shipping will be met with “decisive” measures. The United Nations Security Council is expected to convene an emergency session to discuss the situation, as the international community watches closely to see whether the exchange will spiral into a wider war or be contained through back‑channel negotiations.