U.S. Central Command
U.S. Central Command is the unified combatant command responsible for U.S. military operations across the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia. All of its entries fall in 2026 and record strike operations conducted under its area of responsibility, several in the context of congressional war-powers resolutions.
Also known as CENTCOM · United States Central Command
2026 Events (15)
U.S. Central Command struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran fired missiles at Navy warships, continuing war-powers-defiant Iran campaign
On September 5, 2026, U.S. Central Command struck three Iranian oil tankers — near Kharg Island, near Jask, and in the Gulf of Oman — after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer patrolling the region; both U.S. ships evaded the missiles and no personnel were hurt. CENTCOM permanently disabled two of the tankers and destroyed the third, with CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper saying on the record the U.S. would "destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet" if necessary. The strikes continued a military campaign against Iran that has proceeded without new congressional authorization since Congress's June 2026 War Powers Resolution directed the president to end hostilities.
U.S. Central Command struck roughly 100 Iranian targets under new 'tanker for tanker' policy, continuing war-powers-defiant Iran campaign
On September 1, 2026, U.S. Central Command struck roughly 100 Iranian military targets — including two Iranian government tankers, IRGC air-defense sites, radar systems, and anti-ship missile launchers — under a newly approved "tanker for tanker" policy aimed at deterring Iranian attacks on Gulf shipping. The strikes continued a military campaign against Iran that has proceeded without new congressional authorization since lawmakers passed a bicameral War Powers Resolution in June 2026 directing the president to end hostilities. Iran retaliated with roughly 25 ballistic missiles and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, most of which were intercepted.
U.S. Central Command struck Iranian rocket launchers near Larak Island, resuming Iran strikes in defiance of the bicameral war-powers resolution
On August 30, 2026, U.S. Central Command struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps rocket launchers and sea mines near Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the first confirmed U.S. military action against Iran in roughly a month. The strike came without new congressional authorization, continuing a campaign that has proceeded since Congress passed a bicameral War Powers Resolution in June 2026 directing the president to end hostilities with Iran. Iran acknowledged casualties among its forces and retaliated with ballistic missiles fired at U.S. bases in Jordan, which Jordan's armed forces said they intercepted.
CENTCOM official confirmed secret blacklist of journalists who call the command too often
On August 24, 2026, The Intercept reported that a U.S. Central Command public affairs official, Richard Allee, confirmed on the record that the command maintains a secret internal list of journalists to "disregard," and told an Intercept reporter he could be added to it for calling too often. CENTCOM's press office separately denied in writing that any "blacklist" exists, directly contradicting Allee's own on-record confirmation.
U.S. Navy helicopter fired Hellfire missiles into cargo ship Vela Nova enforcing Iran blockade in Gulf of Oman
On August 11, 2026, a U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Panama-flagged cargo vessel M/V Vela Nova in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its steering gear as the ship sailed toward an Iranian port in violation of the U.S. blockade of Iran reimposed July 14, 2026. U.S. Central Command said the vessel's civilian crew had ignored repeated warnings and did not say whether any crew members were injured. CENTCOM said that, as of August 11, it had redirected 55 commercial vessels, disabled three non-compliant vessels, and boarded two since the blockade's reimposition.
Trump resumed Iran airstrikes after five-day pause, again defying bicameral war-powers resolution
On July 29, 2026, President Trump ordered U.S. forces to resume direct airstrikes on Iran after a five-day pause, following an Iranian missile attack a day earlier that targeted a U.S. air base and CENTCOM center in Jordan. U.S. Central Command said it completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against dozens of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, with Iranian media reporting several civilian deaths, continuing a military campaign waged without new congressional authorization in defiance of the bicameral War Powers Resolution Congress passed in June 2026.
U.S. forces boarded and searched tanker M/T Charminar in Arabian Sea under unauthorized Iran blockade
On July 25, 2026, U.S. Central Command boarding teams stopped, boarded, and inspected the Comoros-flagged tanker M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea, then released it to continue its voyage. CENTCOM described the action as enforcement of the naval blockade of Iranian ports it reimposed on July 14, 2026 — a campaign it has continued without new congressional authorization and after Congress passed a bicameral War Powers Resolution in June 2026 directing the president to end hostilities with Iran. Maritime trackers reported the Charminar had been sanctioned in July 2025 for carrying Iranian fuel to Houthi forces.
U.S. forces disabled tanker M/T Lavine off Oman enforcing unauthorized Iran blockade; union disputes CENTCOM's account of what was struck
On July 24, 2026, U.S. forces fired into the engine room of the Mozambique-flagged tanker M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman, disabling it while enforcing the executive-ordered naval blockade of Iran; U.S. Central Command said the crew had repeatedly ignored warnings while attempting to reach an Iranian port. All 28 Indian seafarers aboard survived. The Forward Seamen's Union of India disputed CENTCOM's account, alleging the strike targeted the crew's living quarters rather than the engine room, a claim video the union released does not clearly resolve either way.
Trump ordered a ninth consecutive night of Iran strikes as troop deaths mounted, still defying the war-powers resolution
On the night of July 19, 2026, U.S. Central Command carried out a ninth consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian military command centers, air defense, coastal surveillance, and missile and drone launch sites, ordered by President Trump without new congressional authorization. The strikes followed CENTCOM's disclosure of additional U.S. service-member deaths in Jordan and Iraq from Iranian-linked attacks, continuing the campaign in defiance of the bicameral War Powers Resolution Congress passed in June 2026.
Trump ordered a seventh consecutive night of Iran strikes, still defying the war-powers resolution
On July 17, 2026, U.S. Central Command carried out a seventh consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran, hitting bridges, energy sites, and military infrastructure and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, while Iran launched retaliatory missiles into Qatar and Kuwait that damaged a desalination plant. The strikes continued without new congressional authorization, defying the bicameral War Powers Resolution Congress passed in June 2026 directing the administration to end hostilities absent a declaration of war.
Trump ordered a sixth night of Iran strikes that hit bridges and collapsed a port tower, again defying the war-powers resolution
Overnight into July 16-17, 2026, U.S. Central Command carried out a sixth consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran, hitting highway and railway bridges in Bandar-e Khamir and collapsing a tower at Iran's Chabahar port, expanding the campaign to infrastructure aimed at cutting off the port city of Bandar Abbas. Iranian state media reported at least seven to eight people killed in the strikes, and Iran's government warned the war "will spread" across the region. The strikes continued a campaign Congress had directed the administration to end through a bicameral War Powers Resolution passed in June 2026, without new congressional authorization.
Trump ordered a fifth day of Iran strikes as CENTCOM reimposed the Strait of Hormuz blockade, again defying the war-powers resolution
On July 15, 2026, U.S. forces struck Iranian targets for a fifth consecutive day and U.S. Central Command reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, in a round Iran's Health Ministry said wounded more than 260 people, the highest single-day toll reported since the campaign resumed. Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to halt all Middle East energy exports in response and launched retaliatory missiles and drones at U.S.-hosting states including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. The strikes and blockade continued a campaign Congress had directed the administration to end through a bicameral War Powers Resolution passed in June 2026, without new congressional authorization.
U.S. aircraft fired Hellfire missiles to disable oil tanker M/T Belma, first vessel struck under reimposed Iran blockade
On July 15, 2026, a U.S. aircraft fired Hellfire missiles into the smokestack of the Curaçao-flagged oil tanker M/T Belma as it transited international waters in the Persian Gulf toward Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal, disabling the unladen vessel after U.S. Central Command said it ignored repeated warnings to stop. CENTCOM said it was the first vessel U.S. forces disabled since reimposing the naval blockade of Iranian ports the day before, and that two other commercial vessels that complied were redirected the same day. The strike enforced a blockade continuing without new congressional authorization after Congress's June 2026 War Powers Resolution directed the president to end hostilities with Iran.
Trump ordered a fourth day of Iran strikes as CENTCOM reinstated the Strait of Hormuz blockade, again defying the war-powers resolution
On July 14, 2026, U.S. forces struck Iranian targets for a fourth consecutive day and U.S. Central Command reinstated a naval blockade on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, backed by more than 20 Navy warships. President Trump the same day dropped a 20 percent cargo toll he had imposed on Hormuz shipping a day earlier, saying Gulf-state leaders had offered to invest in the United States instead. The strikes and blockade continued a campaign Congress had directed the administration to end through a bicameral War Powers Resolution passed in June 2026, without new congressional authorization.
U.S. strike enforcing Iran oil blockade kills three Indian sailors aboard tanker off Oman
On June 10, 2026, U.S. forces enforcing an executive-ordered naval blockade of Iranian oil exports fired on the Palau-flagged oil tanker M/T Settebello in the Gulf of Oman, killing three of its 24 Indian crew members — deck cadet Aditya Sharma, engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya, and chief engineer Patnala Suresh. U.S. Central Command said it disabled the tanker for violating the blockade as it allegedly attempted to carry Iranian oil, and has described the crews of targeted vessels as having repeatedly failed to comply with U.S. directions. India confirmed the deaths and summoned a senior U.S. diplomat on June 11 to lodge a formal protest, and the U.N. International Maritime Organization called the targeting of seafarers "unacceptable."