The United States launched a fourth consecutive night of strikes against Iran early Wednesday, as the conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz continued to intensify and pushed the two nations closer to what officials on both sides now describe as the brink of all-out war.

U.S. Central Command said it began launching a new wave of strikes against Iran at around 6 a.m. ET Wednesday, following overnight attacks that continued a pattern of near-daily military action stretching back more than a week. In a post on social media platform X, Central Command described the purpose of the latest strikes.

"The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the Central Command statement said.

Iran Reports Dozens of Casualties

Iranian officials said the strikes have taken a significant human toll on the country's southern coastal regions in recent days. Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said in a social media post Wednesday morning that more than 30 people had been killed in recent attacks on Iran's southern regions, though she did not elaborate further on the circumstances.

Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said separately that more than 260 people had been wounded across the country in the latest wave of attacks, though he likewise did not specify the exact number of fatalities associated with the wounded total. Central Command later confirmed it had concluded its latest round of strikes, which it said began around 10:00 GMT and lasted approximately 90 minutes, targeting coastal defense systems and other military infrastructure Iran has........

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