ByESTHER DAVIS, ARIELLA ROITMAN 
Updated: 

The US has “completed the latest wave of strikes against Iran” early Tuesday morning, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X/Twitter.

“During the five-hour mission, CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities,” the post said.

CENTCOM confirmed strikes in Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas, areas in which Iranian media had reported explosions.

“More than 50,000 US service members are currently deployed across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” the post said.

Trump vows to ‘hit Iran hard’

On Monday evening, US President Donald Trump had vowed that the US would “hit Iran hard tonight and tomorrow,” in a radio interview on the Hugh Hewitt show.

“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it. They have nothing,” he said.
 

 

 

Shortly after Trump’s interview, CENTCOM announced on X that “US Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief’s direction.”

 

Documentation of the American attacks on Iran. Video use under Section 27a of the Copyright Law/ via Maariv

Trump says US could target Iranian nuclear sites

Several areas in southwestern Iranian city of Omidiyeh were hit by US projectiles, Iranian semi-official Mehr News reported, adding that explosions had been heard in numerous areas around Iran.

Speaking about Iran’s nuclear power, Trump explained that Pickaxe Mountain, a highly fortified nuclear site one mile south of the Natanz nuclear complex in Iran, “could be the target of a nice, big, fat, shot.”

He added that Iran “is not doing well with its nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon.”

Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes that experts assess as beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs in the US arsenal.

Trump also said that “the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was a test, and Tehran didn’t honor it,” adding that current US military action in Iran could last for two to three weeks.

Despite the escalation, Trump claimed a deal could still be reached, saying “they have been stalling for 47 years, but I still think an agreement is possible.”

The president said that he “was not interested in answering” a question about whether Israel will intervene in the strikes tonight. He added that he has a good relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and stated that without the US, “Israel would not be around today.”

Reuters contributed to this report.