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U.S. strikes and retaliation
The United States launched fresh strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, with U.S. Central Command describing them as a "powerful response" to Iran’s attempted attacks on American military forces in the Middle East.
“U.S. forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. ET today”
President Donald Trump said Iran was "going to get a beating" for the attempted overnight missile attack against U.S. forces in Jordan, and CENTCOM said it completed a "heavy wave of strikes" against Iran at 10 p.m. ET.
In Iraq, US and Saudi forces carried out coordinated precision strikes against targets linked to Iranian-aligned groups, and the PMF said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 others injured in the overnight strikes.
Iran denounced the joint US-Saudi operation as a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and international law, while Qatar reaffirmed its support for Saudi Arabia after drone attacks targeted the kingdom's oil infrastructure.
The CBS report also said U.S. forces have redirected 24 commercial vessels since restarting a blockade on Iranian ports earlier this month, up from 20 vessels a day earlier.
Debate in Washington
A Senate vote to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers failed again, with the resolution brought by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand losing 49-50.
The vote came with three Republicans—Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Rand Paul—voting in favor of limiting Mr. Trump’s power, while one Democrat, John Fetterman, voted against it.
CBS News also cited an Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll showing about two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war with Iran has not been worthwhile, including about 37% of Republicans.
In the same CBS account, CENTCOM said the U.S. has publicly insisted the Strait of Hormuz is still open to commercial traffic, but transits through the waterway remain extremely low as Iran threatens to strike ships.
The Fox News report said Trump vowed to hit the regime "very hard" after the attempted Iranian attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East, and it described CENTCOM’s confirmation of new U.S. strikes on Iran.
Sanctions, shipping, and risks
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Mahan Air, described as Iran's biggest airline, saying it has played a central role in enabling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and providing travel services for IRGC‑Qods Force personnel.
“The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned Mahan Air”
CBS News said the U.S. has announced several rounds of sanctions targeting Iran—at least 12 since the war began on Feb. 28—and that the last round targeted the Persian Gulf Marine Insurance Company and Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority.
Fox News reported that OFAC sanctioned two Iranian companies accused of operating coercive maritime "insurance" schemes in the Strait of Hormuz and sanctioned eight companies accused of operating a "shadow fleet" used to transport Iranian oil.
In parallel, the CBS report said the U.S. has turned around 24 commercial ships in Iran blockade operations and that CENTCOM said it has boarded two ships accused of violating the blockade and fired at two other ships to disable them.
CNN reported that CENTCOM said it struck "dozens" of IRGC targets in Iran, and it said vessel traffic through two critical shipping chokepoints remains heavily depressed amid U.S.-Iran tensions and threats to trade in the region.
