The United States military yesterday said it had destroyed an Iranian underground weapons facility housing anti-ship cruise missiles and mobile launchers threatening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as a coalition of more than 20 nations pledged to restore safe passage through the vital waterway.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said warplanes dropped 5,000-pound bombs on the coastal bunker, also destroying intelligence support sites and missile radar relays used to monitor ship movements. The strike, first announced on Tuesday, was described in full detail yesterday as thousands of Iranians marked Eid al-Fitr.
The US statement was widely seen as an effort to steady rattled energy markets and reassure sceptical allies. It was swiftly followed by a joint declaration from more than 20 countries — among them the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the UAE, Bahrain, South Korea and Australia — condemning what they called Iran’s “de facto closure” of the Strait and vowing to contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage. “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” the group said, welcoming nations already engaged in preparatory planning.
The signatories also condemned Iran’s recent attacks on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf and strikes on civilian energy infrastructure, calling them unacceptable provocations against global trade.
The G7 foreign ministers echoed that position, expressing readiness to take necessary measures to protect global energy supplies and standing firmly behind regional partners.