US President Donald Trump issued orders to carry out new military strikes on Iran while he was in Türkiye to participate in the NATO summit, according to what was revealed by the Axios website.
According to the website, Trump approved the strike plan and gave the green light to carry it out from Ankara, following attacks targeting 3 commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz that Washington attributed to Iran.
Trump held a meeting in the Turkish capital that included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Treasury Secretary Scott Besent, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kean and other American officials.
The decision to strike came while Trump was participating in a NATO summit that was clouded by sharp disagreements between Washington and a number of its European allies regarding the war on Iran, as the US President criticized Britain, France, Germany, and Italy for not providing what he considered sufficient support for his country.
Axios quoted a senior American official as saying that the strikes carried out by the US army were four to five times greater in scope and strength compared to the previous raids that took place about 10 days ago.
The targets included Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missile launch sites, in addition to drone launch sites and port facilities.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said that the strikes came in response to Iranian attacks that targeted 3 commercial ships as they were crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and aimed to impose “heavy costs” on Tehran due to targeting commercial shipping.
The raids coincided with the sound of explosions being heard in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Qeshm Island, according to official Iranian media, in a new escalation that threatens the fragile calm between Washington and Tehran.
