U.S. Launches Additional Airstrikes on Iran; Iran Claims 'Hormuz Is More Important Than Atomic Bombs'

[Anchor]

The United States has just launched additional airstrikes on Iran. While President Trump maintains that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, Iran has countered these claims, making a resolution to the conflict appear increasingly distant.

Here is a report from Washington correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam.

[Reporter]

The U.S. Central Command announced that it began additional airstrikes against Iran at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time today.

The U.S. military explained that this operation was carried out under the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, President Trump, with the goal of weakening Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz.

In the previous round of airstrikes, the U.S. military fired over 10 missiles at Qeshm Island, located near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported that "explosions were also detected in Bandar Abbas, a strategic hub in southern Iran."

President Trump stated that the U.S. had carried out a "very powerful strike" against Iran, asserting that, contrary to Iran's declaration of a blockade, the Strait of Hormuz remains open.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President (CNN Interview, July 12): We hit them (Iran) very hard yesterday. We had to deal with Iran yesterday. They are not acting rationally.]

The U.S. Central Command also claimed that "Iran is not in control of the strait, and vessel traffic continues."

On the other hand, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, established by Iran to manage the Hormuz region, countered by stating that "transit through the Strait of Hormuz is impossible due to illegal U.S. military movements."

Furthermore, a military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader declared that "Hormuz is more important than dozens of atomic bombs," making it clear that Iran has no intention of relinquishing its control over the strait.

As the U.S. and Iran continue to exchange airstrikes with no clear solution in sight regarding the "control of Hormuz," forecasts suggest that tensions will only continue to escalate.

(Video reporting: Park Eun-ha, Video editing: Kim Jong-mi)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.