ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday said it struck Iranian coastal defense systems and missile and drone sites across several coastal areas a day earlier, in a goal to degrade its ability to attack commercial ships, while Iran confirmed attacking a US base in Jordan, as the two sides continue trading blows.

“CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“During the five-hour mission, US forces successfully struck military targets across Iran, including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping,” it added.

Renewed tit-for-tat strikes started after CENTCOM alleged that Iran had “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. US forces began striking Iranian military targets early Sunday, hitting around 140 targets in the first wave. 

Tehran has shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway responsible for the transport of roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil, since its war with the US and Israel began in late February. 

Free navigation in the vital waterway has been a key Washington demand in the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran to end hostilities and return to talks.

Since hostilities resumed, the US has carried out daily attacks on Iran with a stated goal of weakening its ability to attack commercial ships in the strait, while Iran has also launched retaliatory strikes across the region, targeting US assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it attacked a US airbase in Jordan with ballistic missiles in the early hours of Tuesday, claiming, “This base was used to attack us, and the American criminals were held accountable for their actions.”

A day earlier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said “none of the American bases in any country in the region have been removed from our list of potential targets,” while regional countries have largely condemned Tehran for targeting them.

On the same day, US President Donald Trump said that Washington is reinstating its naval blockade of Iran, while keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to non-Iranian shipping in return for a charge of 20 percent on shipped goods in exchange for vessels' protection.

After Iran’s closure of the strait, the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, which Trump said cost the country $500 million daily.