US forces completed the 13th night of attacks against Iran early Friday morning, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X/Twitter.
The strikes “targeted Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in the post.
CENTCOM also confirmed that the strait remains open for transit “despite recent attacks from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” and that “commercial vessels continue to freely navigate with US military support.”
Earlier on Friday, CENTCOM had announced in a post on X strikes “aimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping.”
U.S. forces started another night of strikes against Iranian military targets at 6:45 p.m. ET today. This is the 13th consecutive night of strikes aimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 23, 2026
Meanwhile, Iranian air defenses were activated in the capital city of Tehran Friday morning to counter the US’s “hostile threat,” Iran’s semi-official Nour News reported.
Explosions sound across Iran
The Iranian coastal cities of Konarak and Jask, as well as cities in western, central, and southern Iran, reported explosions, according to Iran’s state media outlet, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
Earlier, explosions were reported near Mesen, a village on the southern coast of Qeshm, in the Strait of Hormuz, and south of the Larak and Hengam Islands, according to Iranian media.
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency had said the explosions were caused by American missiles.
Iranian media also reported explosions in Ahvaz, a city in southern Iran, and in an area west of Bandar Abbas, a port city occupying a strategic position in the Strait of Hormuz.
At least two people were injured in the strike, Iran’s official news agency reported, citing a senior official from Hormozgan Province.
Also on Friday, IRIB said in a post on X/Twitter that an American Tomahawk missile had been intercepted and destroyed over the central Iranian city of Kahnuj. CENTCOM has not responded to the claims.
An American Tomahawk missile was intercepted and destroyed over Kahnuj pic.twitter.com/bqS7nc0a3S
— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) July 23, 2026
More than 50,000 US military service members are currently operating across the Middle East, according to CENTCOM.
