US and Iran engage in sustained reciprocal strikes near Strait of Hormuz

US forces conducted a seven-hour aerial campaign against military targets in coastal Iran and near the Strait of Hormuz, marking the fourth consecutive night of direct kinetic exchange. Iran's IRGC claims retaliatory strikes against US logistics facilities in the Persian Gulf, though the extent of damage on both sides remains unverified. This escalation represents a significant departure from previous shadow-war dynamics into direct, sustained state-on-state conflict.