US military launches multiple strikes on Iran, explosions he

The US Central Command announced on social media on the 15th that the US military launched its second wave of strikes against Iran at 15:00 Eastern Time on the 15th (3:00 Beijing Time on the 16th).

The US Central Command stated that this strike is aimed at weakening Iran's military capability to threaten the navigation of ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

In the morning of that day, the US Central Command posted on social media that the US military completed a "morning strike" against Iran at 7:30 Eastern Time on the 15th (7:30 Beijing Time on the 15th). During a 90 minute strike, the US military launched precision guided ammunition at the coastal defense system and cruise missile storage and launch sites on the island of Datongbu. The US Central Command also said that since the resumption of the maritime blockade against Iranian ports on the afternoon of the 14th, the US military has forced two merchant ships attempting to break through the blockade to divert.

On April 20th, in the Iranian capital Tehran, the Iranian flag was hung on a building that had been severely damaged by a US Israeli attack. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shadati

The US military claims to have hit an oil tanker attempting to sail towards an Iranian port

On the 15th, the US Central Command announced on social media that a US aircraft fired missiles at an empty oil tanker attempting to sail towards an Iranian port, rendering it unable to navigate.

The US military stated that the attacked oil tanker was the "Bellma" flying the flag of Curacao. The tanker was sailing in the open sea towards the Iranian oil export hub of Halk Island, violating the US "blockade order" and ignoring multiple warnings. A US military aircraft fired Hellfire missiles at the ship, rendering it unable to navigate.

This is the current situation on the south side of the Strait of Hormuz, captured on June 20th in the small town of Haizeb in northern Oman. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wen Xinnian

Iranian media: Multiple locations in Iran have been attacked by the US military

According to a report by Iran's Maiher News Agency on the early morning of the 16th local time, multiple areas in Iran's Hormuzgan, Sistan Balochistan, and Khuzestan provinces have been hit by a new round of attacks by the US military that have lasted for several hours. The report said that US artillery fire hit areas in southern Iran, such as the Shirik region, Abbas Port, and Gesham Island, and the extent of damage in various areas is yet to be further investigated and announced.

On April 20th, in the Iranian capital Tehran, the ambassador to Iran and foreign media inspected a residential building that had been damaged in the US Israel attack. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shadati

Explosion sounds were heard near the US Consulate General in Erbil, Iraq

According to Iraqi media reports on the 15th, explosions were heard near the US Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, and three drones were shot down. There are currently no reports of casualties or property damage.

Since the 11th, the US military has launched military strikes against Iran for five consecutive days. On the 14th, US President Trump said in an interview with Fox News that the US military strike against Iran will continue until 'I've said enough'. Unless Iran returns to the negotiating table, the US military will strike its bridges and power plants next week. (Reporter: Shadati, Huang Qiang, Shi Chun; Video: Wang Pei)