New York : US-Iran Conflict: Marking the 13th consecutive night of attacks as the confrontation between Washington and Tehran continues to widen, the United States has carried out a fresh round of military strikes against Iran.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump said any damage caused to commercial ships and cargo would be paid for using Iranian funds held under American control.
The latest strikes were announced by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said American forces began another operation against Iranian military targets on Thursday (July 23) evening (US time).
The attacks, it said, were aimed at reducing threats posed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to commercial shipping.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said, "U.S. forces started another night of strikes against Iranian military targets at 6:45 p.m. ET today.
This is the 13th consecutive night of strikes aimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping."
The military campaign has targeted Iranian military infrastructure used for maritime operations. In previous strike updates, the CENTCOM said it had targeted missile and drone facilities, air defence systems, coastal surveillance sites and maritime assets.
The command has said the objective is to reduce Iran's ability to threaten civilian vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says Iranian funds will cover shipping losses : Hours before the latest strikes, Trump posted a message on Truth Social saying the United States would use Iranian money under American control to compensate for losses suffered by ships and cargo.
"Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls.
These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do," he posted.
He did not explain how such payments would be carried out or identify the specific funds he was referring to. According to Al Jazeera, Iran has nearly $100 billion worth of assets frozen in different countries and beyond Tehran's direct control.
Trump repeats warning on Iran's nuclear programme : Trump also reiterated his position that Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons.
"We are doing very well against the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are doing extremely well. They would like to do something, but I say they are not ready yet. They need more of the same. They have got some evil intentions. We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon," he said.
He added, "We cannot let them even think about having nuclear weapons and that is exactly what is happening. They will never have a nuclear weapon... This should have been done by other American Presidents or other countries. It didn't have to be us but if we don't do it nobody else will, but I will and nobody else has the capability to do it."
Iran hits back with criticism : Iran responded with criticism of the Trump administration. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi accused officials in Washington of pushing policies that would only make the situation worse.
In a post on X, he wrote, "Compromised individuals in the US administration are burying their heads in the sand. They ignore the realities on the ground and seem focused only on 2028. The mindless aggression they advocate will only ensure that POTUS pays heavier price for deal he's trying to achieve."
Sea routes under threat : The latest military action follows a series of measures announced by the CENTCOM after it resumed a naval blockade against Iran.
The command said it had redirected several commercial vessels and stopped one ship from entering or leaving Iranian ports as part of efforts to enforce maritime restrictions. American officials say the operations are intended to protect commercial shipping and keep vital sea lanes open.
