US Says It Destroyed Iranian Bunker Housing Missiles Threatening Strait Of Hormuz

Last Updated:March 21, 2026, 23:11 IST

US President Donald Trump has separately called NATO allies "cowards" and urged them to take action to secure the strait.

The United States military said it had destroyed an underground Iranian facility housing weapons that were being used to threaten oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said American warplanes had dropped 5,000-pound bombs on a bunker on Iran’s coastline that was storing anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile launchers and related equipment.

“We not only took out the facility, but also destroyed intelligence support sites and missile radar relays that were used to monitor ship movements," Cooper said in a video statement, revealing details of a strike first announced on Tuesday.

The announcement came after more than 20 countries issued a joint statement vowing to support efforts to reopen the waterway. The statement, signed by the UK, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Australia, the UAE and Bahrain among others, condemned what it called the “de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces" and expressed readiness to contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage.

US President Donald Trump has separately called NATO allies “cowards" and urged them to take action to secure the strait. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pushed back, saying Tehran had only imposed restrictions on vessels from countries involved in attacks against Iran and would assist others that remained outside the conflict. Iran also denied claims- cited in the joint statement- that it has deployed mines in the channel.

The standoff has sent energy prices sharply higher. North Sea Brent crude has risen more than 50 percent over the past month and is now trading comfortably above $105 per barrel.

Meanwhile, Iran’s atomic energy organisation said the US and Israel had targeted a plant at Natanz in Isfahan province, which houses underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran’s disputed nuclear programme and had already sustained damage in last year’s conflict. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi called for “military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident," though the UN watchdog confirmed that no increase in off-site radiation levels had been detected. The Israeli military said it was “not aware of a strike" on Natanz.

News world US Says It Destroyed Iranian Bunker Housing Missiles Threatening Strait Of Hormuz

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