CENTCOM Launches New Wave of Strikes on Iran; Tehran Calls Diplomacy Futile
US Central Command says a fresh wave of strikes on Iran began at 2100 GMT Sunday, targeting Hormuz-facing systems. Tehran says the attacks render diplomacy futile.
Developing story — this page will be updated as information becomes available.
U.S. Central Command said Sunday evening that American forces had launched a new wave of strikes against Iran, with the salvo beginning at 2100 GMT, according to The Guardian and Middle East Eye. Tehran responded by saying the continuing American attacks render diplomacy “futile,” a marked shift from the near-deal framing offered by President Trump earlier the same day.
What We Know
CENTCOM said the strikes are intended to further degrade Iran’s “ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement posted on X and reported by the Jerusalem Post. The command characterized the operation as a continuation of degradation efforts against Iranian anti-ship and coastal-defense assets around the strait.
The new wave follows the earlier round of Sunday strikes on Iranian missile systems positioned around the Strait of Hormuz, which Reuters reported citing Axios, and the earlier CENTCOM statement described a campaign to weaken Iran’s Hormuz-facing military infrastructure.
Markets moved on the news. Oil prices rose and U.S. stock-index futures slipped on Sunday evening, MarketWatch reported, reflecting investor pricing of a sustained tit-for-tat cycle around the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. The Israel Defense Forces are separately coordinating with the U.S. military and preparing for the possibility of Iranian retaliation targeting Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.
What We Don’t Know
CENTCOM has not released a target list, damage assessment, or platform details for the new wave. Iranian casualty figures from the latest salvo are not confirmed. The specific wording and channel of Tehran’s “diplomacy futile” characterization — whether it came from the foreign ministry, the presidency, or state media alone — was not fully specified in initial wire reporting. Whether Trump’s earlier disclosure of a near-deal remains operative after Iran’s public rejection is also unclear. This is a developing story.
Context
The new wave marks the second distinct round of American strikes on Sunday and the fourth round of the current cycle. Earlier Sunday, U.S. forces struck Iranian missile systems around the strait as Trump disclosed the two nations had been close to a diplomatic agreement before hostilities escalated. Overnight Saturday into Sunday, CENTCOM confirmed a third round of strikes after the IRGC hit a container ship in the strait. Iran has separately launched missiles and drones at U.S. bases across six Gulf states during the same window.
Tehran’s shift from “near-deal” partner to publicly calling diplomacy “futile” within a single day narrows the visible off-ramp. If sustained, that framing complicates any resumption of back-channel talks and increases the probability of another Iranian retaliatory cycle before Monday’s Asian market open.
What to Watch
- Whether Iran’s foreign ministry or Supreme National Security Council formalizes the “diplomacy futile” position, which would close the door on the near-deal channel Trump referenced earlier Sunday.
- Whether CENTCOM releases specifics on which Hormuz-facing systems were struck in the new wave — the target list will show whether the U.S. is escalating beyond coastal missile batteries.
- Brent crude and tanker-insurance rates at the Monday Asia open, which will price the combined effect of two U.S. strike rounds and Tehran’s diplomatic hardening in a single day.
This is a developing story. Updates will follow as additional sourcing confirms.
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