Smoke rises after a U.S. one-way attack surface drone reached its target, a submarine and ship maintenance facility according to U.S. Central Command, in Bandar Abbas, Iran, in this screengrab taken from a video, which was released July 13, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY MANDATORY CREDIT Reuters verified the location from buildings, coastline and port infrastructure that matched satellite imagery of the area. The date of the video could not be verified, but no earlier version of the video was found posted online before July 13.
(Tehran, Iran) – U.S. forces carried out a five-hour wave of precision strikes against Iranian military targets, hitting six locations across the country’s southern coast, according to U.S. Central Command. CENTCOM said the operation wrapped up at 10:15 p.m. ET on July 13.
The strikes targeted military sites in Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas. U.S. forces used precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities, according to CENTCOM. The command said the mission was aimed at weakening Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the region.
The strikes come amid rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes and a key passageway for global energy supplies. CENTCOM said more than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently deployed across the Middle East. The latest operation marks another major escalation as Washington seeks to limit Iran’s ability to target maritime traffic and project military power along its coastline.
