US forces used deep-penetrating bombs; the sea route has been blocked since February 28
The (United States Central Command) said it had used on Tuesday (17 March 2026) deep penetration bombs against Iranian anti-shipping batteries along the . The objective of US forces is to reopen the important 33 km wide sea route in the Middle East.
Iran has kept the strait blocked since , as a strategy to put pressure on the global economy. The Islamic republic wants to force other countries to demand an end to US attacks, as the blockade affects the transport of more than 14 million barrels of oil per day.
“Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully deployed multiple 5,000-pound deep-penetrating munitions [cerca de 2.300 kg] against fortified Iranian missile positions along the coast of Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these positions posed a risk to international shipping in the strait.”says Centcom.
On Saturday (March 14), the president of the USA, (Republican Party), international to reopen the strait. However, after US allies in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) refused to deploy military personnel there, Trump declared that “I don’t want or need it anymore” of help.
“I have always considered NATO, where we spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year protecting these same countries, to be a one-way street: we protect them, but they do nothing for us, especially in a time of need.”said the Republican in one on the Truth Social platform. “The same applies to Japan, Australia or South Korea. […] We don’t need anyone’s help.”he added.
