The United States, on Tuesday, struck hardened Iranian missile sites along the coastline of the Strait of Hormuz as part of Operation Epic Fury, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirming that “multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions” were successfully deployed against Iranian anti-ship cruise missile installations that posed a direct threat to international shipping.
Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed that the strait through which roughly 20% of the world’s crude oil typically flows, will remain closed in retaliation for the US and Israeli strikes that began on 28 February. The UN World Food Programme has warned that the conflict’s cascading disruptions to global trade could push 45 million people into acute hunger if it persists. Meanwhile, European allies have rebuffed US President Donald Trump’s calls for support, with Germany insisting the conflict had “nothing to do” with NATO members and Italy signalling its reluctance to expand regional missions.
The Strike and Its Immediate Fallout
The munitions used in Tuesday’s strikes were identified as the GBU-72 Advanced 5K Penetrator – a GPS-guided bunker-buster bomb first introduced in 2021, specifically developed to overcome the challenge of hardened, deeply buried targets. Unlike earlier laser-guided weapons, the bomb is capable of hitting its target in virtually any weather conditions. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper underscored Washington’s resolve, stating that the US would “continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz.”
The strikes have not gone unanswered – Iran launched a fresh ballistic missile barrage overnight, killing two people in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan. In the Gulf, the UAE’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that its air defences were actively intercepting incoming Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, urging residents to remain in safe locations and follow official channels. The US Embassy in Baghdad also came under attack for a second consecutive day, with Iraqi security officials confirming the renewed assault.
Three Weeks of War
The 2026 Iran war began on 28 February, when the United States and Israel launched surprise airstrikes across Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous senior officials. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states. Since then, Iran has carried out at least 21 confirmed attacks on merchant ships, causing tanker traffic through the strait to drop by approximately 70%, with over 150 vessels anchoring outside the waterway to avoid the threat.
The US military has since announced the deployment of 5,000 Marines to the region and officials are reportedly considering a ground operation on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main crude oil export terminal, after US forces struck military targets there last weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following a phone call with Trump, said the two leaders had agreed to cooperate on the Hormuz issue, with Israel providing intelligence support.
Oil prices have surged above $100 per barrel, the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic and Qatar’s energy minister warned that Gulf producers could be forced to declare force majeure, cautioning that such a scenario would “bring down economies of the world.” Adding to the chaos, Iran’s low-cost Shahed 136 drones, which can be built quickly and fired in swarms to overwhelm defences have continued to penetrate US and Gulf air defence systems, with a drone-related incident causing a fire near Dubai International Airport and temporarily disrupting flights.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
What is unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most consequential crises of our times and yet, the voices calling loudest for restraint are not those of governments, but of aid workers watching food supplies collapse, economists warning of a global recession and ordinary families on every continent now feeling the weight of a war they did not choose.
The use of some of the most powerful conventional bombs in the US arsenal against hardened missile bunkers may be framed as a defensive act to protect international shipping, but each escalation, each retaliatory barrage, each new weapon deployed, narrows further the space for diplomacy. The potential targeting of Iran’s Kharg Island oil facilities, if it comes to pass, risks transforming a regional conflict into a full-blown global economic catastrophe.
Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the… pic.twitter.com/hgCSFH0cqO
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 17, 2026
