US hits Iranian missile sites near Strait of Hormuzpublished at 04:43 GMT
04:43 GMT
The US military says it has struck Iranian missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz with powerful bombs that are capable of penetrating bunkers.
In a post on X, the US Central Command said US forces had “successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites” along Iran’s coastline of the strait.
“The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait,” the US military says.
Iran’s effective closure of the waterway – through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil shipments move – has sharply disrupted maritime traffic and contributed to rising global oil prices.
The huge bombs, called “bunker busters” – which reportedly cost an estimated $288,000 each – are less powerful than the 30,000-pound (13,600kg) bombs the US used last year when it attacked three underground nuclear sites in Iran.
Unlike conventional bombs, bunker busters are not designed to explode in the air, on the ground or surface of a target. They are encased in heavy, hardened steel and are made to penetrate deep into the ground before detonating.