US/Israel-Iran War (Day 5): Battle of the Waters as Strait of Hormuz comes to focus

Satellite images have shown the impact of the US and Israel’s strikes in Iran and Iran's retaliatory strikes across the region.

The war between the United States and Israel against Iran entered its fifth day today (Wednesday).

Over 900 people have now been killed in the war, the majority of them in Iran.

We bring you major updates on the war from its fourth day.

US Military’s Focus

The US military said its focus in the ongoing war is to eliminate enemy forces or weapons capable of attacking American troops.

In a video statement, the commander of US Central Command, Brad Cooper, said the first 24 hours of their joint operation had been nearly double the scale of the shock-and-awe strikes that began the US-led Iraq War in 2003.

Mr Cooper said the US has struck more than 2,000 targets in Iran since launching its first strike on Saturday.

Iran, on the other hand, has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones.

The CENTCOM commander said the US military has also destroyed 17 Iranian ships.

Now, he declared, the focus was “on shooting all the things that can shoot at us.”

With over 50,000 troops, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers, and bombers involved, he described it as the most significant US military build-up in the Middle East in decades. The US had earlier confirmed that six American soldiers had been killed in the war, amidst Iranian claims that the US casualty toll is much higher.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military also said it was carrying out “a broad wave of strikes” on Iran while simultaneously attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It also said its air defences have been intercepting more missiles fired from Iran and Lebanon.

Iranian missiles in Israel early Wednesday triggered air raid sirens across large parts.

The Israeli military said it was “operating to intercept,” and ordered residents in Jerusalem and other parts of the country to seek shelter.

Al Jazeera reported that the order was lifted after several minutes, with no reports of any direct impact.

Control over the Strait of Hormuz

The US and Iran have made conflicting claims over the Strait of Hormuz, a small waterway which serves as a vital shipping route for oil and gas.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday that it has seized control of the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any vessels seeking to pass through the waterway risk damage from missiles or stray drones.

“Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is under the complete control of the Islamic Republic’s Navy,” it said, warning ships to avoid crossing the Strait.

But it contradicts the US CENTCOM statement made hours earlier.

The commander, Mr Cooper, said the US military successfully sank “all of the Iranian navy” and had already destroyed 17 Iranian ships.

“Today, there is not a single Iranian ship underway in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman,” he said.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said the US Navy might escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary.

The war has already led to a surge in oil prices, with Brent Crude rising to about $84 on Wednesday from about $72 on Friday before the war started.

Satellite images show scope of Iran strikes

Satellite images have shown the impact of the US and Israel’s strikes in Iran and Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the region, Reuters reports.

It also confirmed that an Iranian drone damaged the US AN/FPS-132 early-warning radar at the US base in Qatar. The radar system, said to cost over a billion dollars, is the biggest by the US in the Middle East.

Earlier reports described the system as “completely destroyed” or “neutralised.”

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General, Rafael Grossi, told NBC News that inspectors found no evidence of a coordinated Iranian programme to build nuclear weapons despite Israeli and US claims.

He said the agency had not identified “elements of a systematic and structured programme to manufacture nuclear weapons” in Iran.

But he confirmed that Tehran has enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity – a level far beyond civilian energy needs.

Grossi said such enrichment is something “only countries with nuclear weapons have”.

Rubio pushes back against criticism

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has pushed back against criticism over America’s rationale for war.

Mr Rubio argued that Mr Trump opted for an attack on Iran because he was presented with “a unique opportunity” for the mission to be successful.

Ahead of a closed-door briefing with lawmakers, Mr Rubio said Mr Trump believed Israel was determined to act and wanted the US to go first with a preemptive strike on Iran to prevent retaliation on US bases in the region.

“We are not going to put American troops in harm’s way. The president was determined we were not going to get hit first. It’s that simple,” he said.

“There is no way in the world that this terrorist regime was going to get nuclear weapons, not under Donald Trump’s watch,” he added.

Congress to vote on war in Iran

The Guardian reports that the Senate is set to vote on Wednesday on legislation challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to initiate military action against Iran.

The measure, introduced under the War Powers Act, would require the president to obtain congressional authorisation before launching any additional strikes.

Lawmakers in the Senate will consider the resolution this week, while a companion proposal is expected to come before the House in the coming days.

Despite the upcoming votes, the efforts face long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress. Even if the resolutions were to pass both chambers, they would likely encounter a presidential veto from Mr Trump.

Democratic lawmakers have criticised Mr Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran without Congressional approval.

Bernie Sanders, a senator from Vermont, described the choice as Mr Trump simply giving in to the demand of the Israeli prime minister.

“Netanyahu wanted war with Iran. Trump just gave it to him.

“American foreign and military policy must be determined by the American people,” he wrote. “Not the right-wing extremist Netanyahu government.”

Tim Kaine, a senator from Virginia, slammed Mr Trump for carrying out unauthorised strikes and failing to inform Congress before launching the attack.

Mark Warner, a senator from Virginia and vice-chair of the select intelligence committee, called the strikes “a deeply consequential decision that risks pulling the United States into another broad conflict in the Middle East”.

Difference between the US and Israel emerges

Differences between Israel and the United States are beginning to surface, according to Reuters.

This is despite their coordinated military campaign against Iran.

When the bombing campaign began on Saturday, both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu framed regime change as a central objective.

However, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon press conference, stated the operation was not intended to be a “so-called regime-change war.”

Mr Trump also earlier shifted emphasis away from toppling Tehran’s government.

Instead, he said Washington’s primary aims were to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities and naval forces and to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, the UK government has begun working to evacuate British nationals in Oman.

The government said priority for the evacuation flight will be given to the most vulnerable groups.

The US State Department has also given its non-emergency personnel and their families in Saudi Arabia and Oman permission to leave.

President Trump has also criticised the leaders of the UK and Spain for not supporting his war on Iran and allowing the US unlimited rights to use their bases for the war. He vowed to stop all Spanish trade with the US.