U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the arm of the Pentagon responsible for the Middle East, confirmed on Monday that its forces had conducted military strikes on a variety of targets throughout Iran, including the city of Bushehr, the home of the country’s only known functioning civilian power plant.
The strikes are part of a renewed campaign against the Iranian terrorist regime that began in response to Iran resuming violent attacks on seemingly random commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz in the first week of July, coinciding with a week-long mourning period in which the country held funerals for late dictator Ali Khamenei. President Donald Trump announced on February 28 that the former “supreme leader” was eliminated in the first American airstrikes as part of Operation Epic Fury, a campaign to erode Iran’s ability to pose a threat to its neighbors.
Operation Epic Fury was paused by a ceasefire in April, then allegedly fully concluded following the signing of a “memorandum of understanding” between Washington and Tehran in late June. As part of the memorandum, Iran committed to not interfering in free commerce in the Strait of Hormuz, a commitment it broke by resuming strikes on ships in early July.
President Trump has since stated that the ceasefire with Iran is “over” but he is still willing to engage in negotiations with the country’s remaining leadership.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote last week on his websites, Truth Social.
CENTCOM issued a statement late on Monday detailing its activities in Iran. In a “five-hour mission,” the command noted, “U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping.” Bushehr is a coastal city in southern Iran located on the shores of the Persian Gulf.
“CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities,” the statement explained. “More than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently deployed across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
Iranian state media also confirmed “enemy” strikes on Bushehr, citing eyewitnesses seeing explosions in the town, and accused the United States of breaching the ceasefire in the memorandum of understanding, which Trump declared over days ago. The reports did not express any concern for the nuclear power plant there or indicate that it had been targeted. They quoted instead deputy provincial governor Ehsan Jahanian who stated only, “Four points in the city of Bushehr were hit by enemy projectiles.”
The United States has previously targeted Iranian nuclear sites under President Trump, most prominently in June 2025, when airstrikes were conducted over the suspected uranium enrichment sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Bushehr has received different treatment, however, as it is a civilian nuclear power plant and one of the few nuclear sites in the country that Iran has allowed the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) to inspect. The IAEA reportedly visited the Bushehr plant on June 1 and did not report any extraordinary activity.
The strikes follow increasingly frustrated comments from President Trump, who has referred to Iranian government leaders as “a bunch of scum” and “sleazebags” in the past two weeks. On Monday, speaking to radio show host Hugh Hewitt, President Trump described the memorandum as a “test” to see if Iran would honor even the most basic commitment.
“Memorandums of understanding, when you’re dealing with sleazebags, don’t mean much. It was sort of a test, and they weren’t there. They didn’t honor the test,” he stated. The president also suggested that the United States could potentially hit a fourth suspected nuclear site in the country known as Pickaxe Mountain.
“But Pickaxe is a possible target for a nice, big, fat shot right into the front door,” he said. “And I think that you’ll — maybe you’ll see that. I’ll tell them right now it is on the list. We’re watching it closely. We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up.”
Elsewhere in an interview with Fox News, the president said that the United States would “take over” the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’re taking over the strait. They’ve got nothing,” Trump said. “And we’re going to keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it. We’ll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we’ll call it the ‘guardian angel of the strait.’”
Shipping traffic in the Strait dropped to the lowest level in two months this weekend, reports revealed on Monday, as a result of renewed attacks by Iran’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).