U.S. Expands Military Strikes on Iran as Trump Says Tehran Wants New Talks

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Wednesday evening that it has launched another wave of strikes against targets in Iran. According to the military, the operation is aimed at degrading Iran's military capabilities that threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported explosions in the southwestern city of Ahvaz.

CENTCOM stated that "the strikes are directed at Iranian military capabilities intended to threaten vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway vital to global commerce."

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump was asked whether he intends to set a deadline before authorizing a possible strike on bridges inside Iran. Trump declined to provide a specific timetable, saying, "I don't like giving deadlines, but they more or less know the situation. They need to behave."

At the same time, Trump said Iran has expressed a willingness to resume negotiations with the United States. In an interview with Fox News, he remarked, "Iran wants to meet. They want to make a deal. We'll see if we can reach an agreement with them."

Meanwhile, i24NEWS reported that a U.S. official said the military operation has expanded significantly over the past 24 hours.

According to the official, "The strikes in Iran have been broadened considerably, and the number of targets has increased significantly." However, the official stressed that while the scale of the operation has grown, the nature of the targets has not changed. "The targets were — and remain, those intended to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."

One of the most notable developments, the official added, is a shift in the U.S. military's operational pattern. For the first time since the ceasefire, American forces carried out a large-scale daylight strike against targets inside Iran, whereas previous operations had primarily taken place at night.

The official also said that U.S. forces are now operating on a continuous 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis, suggesting that daytime strikes could become a regular part of military operations in the coming days.