Reports circulating on social media claimed that U.S. forces targeted wheat storage facilities in Hoveyzeh and Dasht-e Azadegan counties, located in Iran’s Khuzestan province. These claims emerged amidst heightened military activity in the Strait of Hormuz and growing concerns regarding the safety of civilian infrastructure.
Several social media posts alleged that U.S. forces had struck a civilian wheat storage silo in Hoveyzeh, with some asserting this was the first instance of an attack on food infrastructure during the ongoing conflict. These reports were amplified by various online outlets and social media accounts, leading to widespread belief in the allegations.
For example, one X user stated, “A U.S. strike has reportedly hit a wheat storage silo overnight in Hoveizeh County, in Iran’s western Khuzestan province. No casualties were reported. It looks like the first U.S. strike on Iranian food storage of the war, though not the first to hit agricultural targets… Just 2 nights earlier, a U.S. projectile struck an agricultural water-pumping station in Mahshahr, also in Khuzestan, killing the complex’s guard and wounding 4. The silo was one of several sites hit across the province in the latest wave.”
Another account, Hormuz Letter, posted, “The US has struck a wheat storage silo in Hoveizeh County and a silo location in Dasht Azadegan County, southwestern Iran, an hour ago, per the Deputy Governor of Khuzestan Province. This is the first US strike on the Iranian food supply infrastructure of the war.”
However, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has stated that these claims are false. CENTCOM clarified that its recent operations on July 14 targeted Iranian military infrastructure, not civilian food facilities. These strikes were part of an effort to diminish Iran’s capacity to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to CENTCOM, the military sites targeted included command centers, air defense systems, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal radar installations in locations such as Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Tunb, Bushehr, and Kuh-e Stak. CENTCOM’s official statement on X indicated, “On July 14, U.S. forces hit Iranian military targets in Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Tunb, Bushehr, and Kuh-e Stak to degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iran has targeted innocent civilians transiting the strait and in neighboring Gulf countries.”
Based on the official information released by the U.S. military, there is no evidence to support the assertion that American forces targeted wheat storage facilities in Hoveyzeh or Dasht-e Azadegan during the recent strikes.
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