Washington, July 13 (SANA)The U.S. military said it had completed a new wave of offensive strikes against dozens of military targets across Iran, saying the operation was intended to reduce Tehran’s ability to carry out attacks on international commercial shipping transitingthe Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday that the strikes, conducted on July 12, targeted dozens of sites using precision-guided munitions, including Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar installations, missile and drone facilities, and small naval craft.

CENTCOM said the operation involved coordinated strikes byU.S.fighter aircraft and naval vessels, alongside the operational use of one-way attack drones and unmanned surface vessels, marking the first deployment of the latter in such an operation.

The command said the Strait of Hormuz is a critical international shipping route that is not under Iranian sovereignty and that U.S. forces remain on alert to safeguard freedom of navigation forcommercial vessels.It accused Iran of carrying out what it described as “unprovoked aggression,” harassment and threats against maritime traffic.

The latest operation follows U.S. strikes announced a day earlier, which Washington said were launched in response to continued Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said it had intercepted an Iranian cruise missile and a drone allegedly targeting commercial vessels and had completed a third round of strikes this week, hitting about 140 military sites after Iran allegedly attacked another commercial ship in the waterway.