US says Iran threat to Hormuz degraded after facility destroyed

Shiyin Chen, Bloomberg News on Mar 21, 2026

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The U.S. said Iran’s ability to threaten marine traffic on the Strait of Hormuz has been “degraded” after it took out a facility along the Iranian coastline earlier this week.

The U.S. military dropped several 5,000-pound bombs on an underground facility located along Iran’s coastline, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command. The facility was used to store equipment, including anti-ship cruise missiles and mobile missile launchers, he said.

“Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz is degraded as a result and we will not stop pursuing these targets,” Cooper said in a video posted on X. He said the military also destroyed Iranian intelligence support sites and missile radar relays used to monitor ship movements.

Shipping has stalled on the Strait of Hormuz — a choke point for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas — since the start of the war three weeks ago, despite attempts by the U.S. to reopen the channel. That’s sent global energy prices soaring and Trump’s administration scrambling to lower gas prices.

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(With assistance from Sam Kim.)