U.S. military forces launched airstrikes against locations near the city of Kazeroon in Iran's Fars province early Thursday morning [1, 3].

The operation marks a significant escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran, occurring shortly after President Donald Trump warned of potential strikes to degrade Iranian military capabilities.

U.S. Central Command carried out the strikes at 6 a.m. Eastern Time, which was approximately 10 a.m. local time [2, 4]. A U.S. Army spokesperson said the military began a new wave of aerial strikes against Iran at that time [2]. Reports indicate the operation targeted dozens of locations belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) [3].

The Tasnim News Agency reported that the "American enemy" attacked an area in the vicinity of Kazeroon in the southern province of Fars [1]. The U.S. said the strikes were a response to perceived Iranian threats and were intended to degrade IRGC capabilities [1, 3].

In response to the military action, Iranian authorities closed the Strait of Hormuz to all types of ships, and oil tankers [5]. This closure affects one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints for global energy supplies.

There is conflicting reporting regarding the duration of the campaign. While some sources describe the event as a new attack, others said these were additional strikes occurring for the second night in a row [1, 5].

“The U.S. said the strikes were a response to perceived Iranian threats.”

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. strikes on IRGC targets suggests a shift from indirect confrontation to direct military and economic warfare. By blocking the strait, Iran is leveraging its geographical control over oil transit to create global economic pressure, potentially forcing international diplomatic intervention to halt further U.S. kinetic operations in Fars province.