Florida, July 20 -- The US military has finished its ninth straight night of strikes against Iranian targets, following a sustained escalation in the region.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the operations targeted "Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks".

The offensive ended on July 19 at 10 pm ET (02:00 GMT, July 20) and was carried out "to further diminish Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz".

"The US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction," the official statement added.

Signalling an ongoing high alert stat...