US Strikes Iranian Targets; Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz

US forces carried out a further round of air and missile strikes on dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran's coast. An Iranian government spokesperson said more than 30 civilians were killed in the recent US strikes on southern Iran. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at US military targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Jordanian air defenses intercepted and downed three Iranian ballistic missiles that entered the country's airspace at dawn Wednesday. Iran imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated the waterway will remain closed until the end of America's evils.

The US naval blockade on Iranian ports resumed Wednesday. President Donald Trump stated that Iran's bridges and power plants are possible future targets and that strikes will continue. Nine of 11 vessels that passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday were linked to Iranian trade, according to Kpler shipping data.

One VLCC carrying 2 million barrels of crude, one medium-range tanker with refined products and two LPG tankers exited via the Iranian route. Oil prices rose early Wednesday after the blockade and retaliatory strikes. The US Treasury froze more than $130 million by sanctioning several cryptocurrency wallets linked to the Central Bank of Iran.

Iran's Education Ministry relocated examination centres near military sites to safer locations including public halls and religious centres. Chinese UN envoy Sun Lei stated that US attacks on Iran have pushed the region into a dangerous precipice. US UN envoy Mike Waltz accused China of not doing enough to stop the flow of dual-use goods and satellite imagery to Iran and the Houthis.