Military ground personnel work on Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) in front of a US Air Force (USAF) B-1 Lancer bomber on the tarmac at RAF Fairford in south-west England on March 11, 2026. Fairford is one of two bases, along with the Diego Garcia facility in the Indian Ocean, that the UK has given the US permission to use for “specific defensive operations into Iran” to destroy Iranian missiles at source, the British defence minister said in a statement. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
The United States on Wednesday warned Iranians that it considers civilian ports in the Strait of Hormuz to be legitimate targets, alleging the Tehran government was using the facilities for military operations.
“The Iranian regime is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping,” the US military said in a statement.
“Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become legitimate military targets under international law.”
It urged “civilians in Iran to immediately avoid all port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating.
“Iranian dockworkers, administrative personnel, and commercial vessel crews should avoid Iranian naval vessels and military equipment.”
On Tuesday, the United States said it had carried out strikes that destroyed 16 mine-laying vessels that could have been used to block the strait, a vital sea lane for Gulf oil and gas exports.
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