President Trump unleashed a third consecutive night of strikes on Iran Monday, declaring that American forces were hammering Tehran’s military capabilities and had no plans to ease up.
“We’re hitting them very heavy tonight, as you know,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office shortly after U.S. Central Command announced the operation.
“We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. We have numbers that we haven’t had in years, and we’re hitting them very hard and it’ll continue, and we’ll see what happens,” he continued. “But we’re knocking out all of their offensive capability, and we’re controlling the straits.”
CENTCOM said the mission began at 4:45 p.m. ET under Trump’s direction and ended at 10:15 p.m., bringing the five-hour barrage to a close.
JUST IN: U.S. forces complete a five-hour strike mission targeting military sites across Iran.
CENTCOM says American forces hit missile and drone sites, coastal defense systems, and maritime capabilities across multiple locations, aiming to further degrade Iran's ability to… pic.twitter.com/HnaFPVyQlD
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 14, 2026
American forces struck military targets in Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas, according to an official CENTCOM release.
The targets included Iranian coastal defenses, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities that CENTCOM said could be used to threaten commercial shipping.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the command said.
More than 50,000 American service members are currently deployed across the Middle East. CENTCOM said those forces “remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
Explosions were reported across southern Iran during the operation. Iranian state media reported blasts in several areas along the Persian Gulf, while separate claims circulating on social media suggested that Kish, Qeshm and other islands may also have been hit.
Iran acknowledged the American strikes but did not immediately release a casualty or damage assessment, The Associated Press reported.
Trump was already looking toward another possible target before Monday’s mission began.
“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
The mountain site has drawn attention because analysts believe it could be connected to Iran’s nuclear program. The full scope of the facility and any material stored there have not been publicly verified.
“We’re watching [it] closely. We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation,” Trump said. “Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon.”
NEW: Trump on Iran's nuclear facility Pickaxe Mountain
"We’re watching it closely. We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation […] but we’ll probably give Pickaxe Mountain a shot relatively soon." pic.twitter.com/Y4rxvrtLkR
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 13, 2026
Trump’s threat raised the prospect of broadening an operation that CENTCOM has publicly framed around protecting civilian mariners and commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The administration also formally notified Congress that renewed military action against Iran began July 7.
In a July 10 letter obtained by CBS News, Trump described the strikes as “limited, measured, planned, and executed in a manner designed to minimize civilian casualties.” He said no American ground forces were involved.
The strikes followed what the administration described as Iranian attacks on neutral-flagged commercial vessels moving through the strait. Iran has asserted authority over shipping routes in the waterway, while Washington insists international traffic must remain free to pass.
The latest exchange has placed the Strait of Hormuz back at the center of the conflict. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel during peacetime, according to the AP.
Iranian forces subsequently claimed responsibility for attacks on two tankers and launched attacks toward Bahrain and Jordan, according to regional officials cited by the AP. Tehran said the ships had ignored warnings.
Trump’s message, however, was blunt: The bombardment is not being presented as a one-night warning.
Three nights in, Washington is still firing,
Iran is still threatening shipping, and Pickaxe Mountain is now on the president’s target list.
This story is developing…
NEW: The U.S. launched a third straight night of strikes on Iran, with CENTCOM saying American forces targeted military sites across six locations during a five-hour operation.
Meanwhile, the IRGC carried out drone and missile strikes targeting U.S. military sites in Bahrain,… pic.twitter.com/mOJCasAm56
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 14, 2026
