The United States and Iran exchanged fresh claims over military operations as tensions continued to escalate, while protests interrupted a US Senate hearing involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had completed an 11th consecutive night of airstrikes targeting Iran. According to the statement, the strikes hit Iranian military operations centers, naval capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure.
CENTCOM also claimed that over the past three months, Iran had carried out more than 30 attacks on commercial vessels transiting a key international waterway used for regional and global trade. It described the incidents as “unprovoked attacks” that endangered hundreds of civilian sailors and disrupted freedom of navigation.
Despite the ongoing tensions, CENTCOM said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial shipping. It added that since the beginning of May, US forces have assisted in the safe transit of nearly 900 commercial vessels carrying approximately 450 million barrels of crude oil.
Meanwhile, protests repeatedly disrupted a US Senate Appropriations Committee hearing attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Demonstrators chanted slogans calling for an end to the bombing of children in Iran and Palestine, describing the military action as illegal.
Protesters also accused Hegseth of having “the blood of 17 Americans” on his hands and said former military personnel were demanding an immediate end to the war. The hearing was paused several times before the committee chair called police to remove the demonstrators.
Separately, Iran’s military claimed it had launched the 21st wave of attacks under what it called “Operation Saeqah” in response to US strikes. According to the Iranian military’s public relations office, Iranian forces targeted the US military’s Camp Doha in western Kuwait using drones.
The statement said the attack was aimed at weapons storage facilities and logistics equipment supporting the command center of US ground forces. Iran described Camp Doha as one of the United States’ most important military bases in Kuwait and a key regional support hub hosting American ground, naval, and air force personnel and equipment.
