A satellite view of Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, and Larak Island in Hormozgan Province, within the Strait of Hormuz region, on January 17, 2026.
Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026/File

The US strikes on key military sites Thursday sent a warning to Iran about the scope of any potential escalation in the conflict, according to CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton.

The US Central Command said it targeted military facilities responsible for launching missile, drone and small boat attacks against American warships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A US official told CNN that strikes were carried out in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas and Qeshm.

A spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces said US airstrikes hit civilian areas along the coasts of Qeshm Island, Bandar Khamir and Sirik.

“Bandar Abbas is the naval headquarters for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and it is strategically located right at that bend in the Strait of Hormuz, so these are significant targets,” Leighton told CNN’s Elex Michaelson.

“That idea was to basically send a message to the Iranians… (that the US) can go further than this,” Leighton said. “It definitely caused some consternation in Iran and that was the goal as well.”

After the strikes, President Donald Trump said the ceasefire remains in effect, but warned “we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently” if Iran doesn’t sign a deal soon.