A satellite image of Kuh-e Kolang (Pickaxe Mountain) in central Iran. [Reuters]
A satellite image of Kuh-e Kolang (Pickaxe Mountain) in central Iran. [Reuters]

The United States carried out airstrikes against Iran on Tuesday (local time), extending its military campaign into an 11th consecutive day.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it had launched strikes against military targets inside Iran at 7 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday.

CENTCOM said the strikes were aimed at continuing to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States and Iran have been locked in an open-ended armed conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The cycle of retaliation was triggered after Iran asserted control over the waterway and repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit without its authorization, prompting US reprisals.

US strikes have so far been largely confined to Iranian military facilities scattered along the shores of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has responded by launching counterattacks focused on US military bases in Gulf states.

Both sides have also struck some civilian infrastructure, raising the risk that the conflict could escalate into a full-scale war.

Also on Tuesday, President Donald Trump signaled a potential strike on Kuh-e Kolang, a mountain in central Iran believed to house a secret nuclear facility. In response, Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, the unified command of Iran's armed forces, warned that it would strike all US assets in the Middle East if the United States attacked the nuclear facility.


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