In a major escalation on day 36 of the 2026 US-Iran war, the United States has unleashed heavy firepower directly along the Iranian coastline near the Strait of Hormuz, with a mᴀssive 5,000-pound bunker-buster bomb detonating in a thunderous strike against Iranian military positions.

The powerful GBU-28-class bomb, dropped from a U.S. stealth aircraft, targeted hardened coastal missile batteries and command posts that Iran has been using to threaten international shipping. The explosion sent shockwaves across the water, lighting up the night sky with a mᴀssive fireball and triggering secondary blasts from destroyed munitions depots. U.S. forces simultaneously pounded multiple Iranian sites along the Gulf coast with cruise missiles and precision airstrikes in what officials describe as a sustained effort to neutralize Iran’s ability to blockade the critical waterway.

This aggressive American operation comes in direct response to Iran’s recent devastating attacks, including the strike on Israel’s Dimona nuclear facility and the mᴀssive missile barrage on Tel Aviv using Khorramshahr-4, Qadr, Emad, and Kheybar missiles. It also follows Iran’s earlier successes: the 23-ton monster missile that killed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Al-Qadr strike on a U.S. carrier strike group, and repeated blows against major U.S. bases.

U.S. Central Command reports nearly 200 American troops injured across the theater with 13 confirmed deaths. President Donald Trump stated the strikes were “necessary and powerful,” declaring that America will not allow Iran to shut down global energy supplies. “We are hitting them hard where it hurts,” he added.

The USS Tripoli remains on station off Iran’s coast, coordinating with other naval ᴀssets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Burning tankers still dot the seascape, keeping Brent crude prices above $122 per barrel and sending fresh shocks through the global economy.

With America now directly pounding Iranian positions along the strategic chokepoint using heavy 5,000-pound bombs, the battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz has intensified dramatically. Iran has vowed to retaliate “with full force.”

The situation is extremely volatile and developing by the hour.