Strait of Hormuz, breaking news! US military drops multiple 5000-pound munitions! Iran's president confirms Raisi has died and delivers eulogy

Tehran time on the 18th early morning, the U.S. Central Command announced that a few hours ago, U.S. forces successfully used multiple 5,000-pound deep-penetration munitions to destroy Iran’s fortified missile launch sites along the coast near the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military stated that these sites’ Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles pose a threat to international shipping within the strait.

As of now, Iran has not responded.

On the 17th local time, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani posted on social media that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war state.

On the 13th, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, issued his first statement since taking office, saying Iran will continue to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps repeatedly declared that the Strait is under strict control of the IRGC Navy, and “the United States and its allies have no right of passage.”

More reports:

Iranian President Confirms Larijani Has Died and Offers Condolences

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued an official statement early on the 18th local time, mourning the death of the Secretary of the Supreme Security Council and former Speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani, in a recent terrorist attack.

Raisi highly praised Larijani’s outstanding contributions in the statement. He emphasized that Larijani’s death is a “huge irreparable loss” for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Raisi stressed that although Larijani has died, Iran will continue to adhere to a resistance strategy that balances “rationality and foresight.”

According to Iranian sources, Larijani and his son Morteza Larijani were killed in an attack at his daughter’s home in Pardis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on the 17th local time that Larijani was killed. It is reported that the Israeli military launched an airstrike early that day in Tehran, Iran. It is claimed that after the assassination of Ali Khamenei, Israel tracked Larijani for several weeks.

Netanyahu also said that Basij militia commander Qasem Soleimani has been killed. He added that recent military actions are weakening Iran, and more “surprises” are expected.

Sources Say Iran Has Pre-Selected Multiple Candidates for Key National Positions

On the evening of the 17th local time, sources revealed that Iran has pre-designated 3 to 7 substitutes for all key government officials and military commanders to ensure the continuity of core national functions in case of emergencies.

The source said this preemptive personnel arrangement aims to ensure that, regardless of any sudden incident, the country’s administrative operations and defense actions will not be interrupted.

The source also stated that the U.S. and Israel are no longer hiding their assassination efforts and have even begun to openly boast about their terrorist activities.

On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Iran, during which Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei and several senior military and political officials were killed in the airstrikes.

Israeli Military Threatens to “Pursue and Kill” Iran’s New Supreme Leader

Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Efi Doflin said on the 17th that the IDF will “pursue” Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

In an interview that day, Doflin stated that the IDF is targeting “all leaders” of Iran and will pursue and “eliminate” Khamenei.

Earlier that day, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Gharibabadi, posted on social media that reports claiming Khamenei is receiving treatment in Russia are false. These false reports are “a new psychological warfare.”

Compiled from: CCTV News

Proofread by: Zhao Yan