U.S. forces again carried out strikes on targets in Iran, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Thursday, July 30.
A series of massive strikes is "a response to yesterday's attempt at missile bombardment of U.S. forces" in the region, according to a statement from the military. According to CENTCOM, dozens of targets belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were hit, including military command centers, facilities related to missile weapons, drones, and the coast guard.
“The objective of the strikes was to further reduce threats emanating from Iran and its allies to American troops, commercial shipping, and neighboring Persian Gulf countries,” CENTCOM said, noting that on July 28 IRGC forces launched several ballistic missiles from Iran at American troops in the Middle East. All the missiles were intercepted, according to the statement. More than 50,000 U.S. servicemembers are currently deployed in the Middle East, CENTCOM added.
A pause and the resumption of shelling in the U.S.-Iran war
From July 12 to 24, the United States conducted night strikes on military facilities on Iranian territory. U.S. military officials said the purpose of these strikes was to weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which was targeted by the IRGC. Iran also carried out strikes on the territory of neighboring countries, stating that the targets were American military bases.
After July 24, the parties refrained from mutual strikes until July 28. According to The New York Times, on July 24 the U.S. president met with top advisors and key members of his cabinet and decided to postpone new large-scale strikes on Iran. The NYT said the reasons included, among other things, the prospect of depleting stocks of missile interceptors for the Patriot air defense systems and other U.S. air-defense assets in the Middle East, as well as the threat of a global energy and economic crisis.
On July 28, strikes by the United States were carried out together with the armed forces of Saudi Arabia. In CENTCOM, they said the operation was in response to more than 30 drone attacks over the past 72 hours.