The United States launched airstrikes on Friday against bridges in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people, according to Iranian state TV. The bridges served as a critical transit point for Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port. Additional US strikes brought down a tower at Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, which the US military claimed was used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to facilitate attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The US also targeted key electrical infrastructure and Iranshahr airport.
Energy grid under strain
Iran's energy ministry urged citizens to reduce electricity and air conditioning usage after the power grid came under strain from US strikes on energy facilities. The ministry reported that southern regions were experiencing "extreme heat and attacks on power infrastructure" as temperatures soared. Strikes on civilian infrastructure not used for military purposes could constitute a war crime, according to human rights experts.
Renewed US strikes had killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 400 in Iran by Friday morning, said Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran's health ministry.
Escalation after Trump's promise
The attacks appeared to follow through on President Donald Trump's promise to expand strikes against Iran, including targeting infrastructure and power plants. Trump reportedly met with senior department heads this week to discuss an expanded aerial campaign aimed at forcing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The current round of fighting has entered its seventh day, further undermining the interim deal between Iran and the US, which was meant to keep the strait open and allow negotiations for a permanent truce. Iran has shut the strait, and the US reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports and ships on Wednesday.
IRGC threatens 'devastating price'
After the US strikes on Friday, the IRGC warned of a "devastating price" for countries hosting US bases if American attacks against infrastructure continued. "The American enemy and the hosts of its bases in the region should know that crossing red lines and attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure will have a very severe and devastating price to pay," the IRGC said in a statement.
Iranian military responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar. Qatar, a mediator between the US and Iran, had mostly been spared from Iranian retaliation in recent rounds of violence. Qatari authorities reported that falling debris wounded a child as air defences intercepted missiles.
Kuwait water plant hit
In Kuwait, authorities said Iranian strikes hit a power and desalination plant, damaging the water facility. The country relies on desalinated water for about 90% of its drinking water. Officials said they were working to assess the damage and restore operations.
Strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan killed eight members of armed Kurdish opposition groups, which blamed Iran for the attacks. Tehran also claimed to have struck the al-Tanf military base in Syria, although Syrian authorities denied this to Agence France-Presse.
Strait of Hormuz focus
The renewed fighting has centred on the Strait of Hormuz, which handled about a fifth of the world's oil and gas supply before the war. Although a memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran last month stated the strait should remain open, both sides interpreted the deal differently. Washington and Tehran advanced competing plans for ship transits, with Iran attacking some vessels that took the US route. Shipping in the waterway has drastically reduced over the last few days, though most ships continuing to transit used the Iranian route.
A tanker travelling through the strait on the route closest to Oman came under attack on Friday, according to the British military. The tanker sustained minor damage but no crew were hurt. Iran did not claim responsibility.
Iranian state media also reported that the US struck an empty oil tanker docked at Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal on the strait.
Blockade enforcement
American forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as part of the renewed blockade of Iran's ports that began earlier this week, the US military said. US marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao "to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade," US Central Command (Centcom) said in a post on X. Centcom also reported that it had "redirected" three commercial vessels "trying to run the blockade" since it took effect at 8pm GMT on Tuesday. The previous day, a US aircraft fired on and disabled an unladen oil tanker that tried to break the blockade.
Houthi threat
Iran has asked its allies in Yemen, the Houthis, to be prepared to close the oil route through the Red Sea if the US targets Iranian energy infrastructure, Reuters reported. Such a move could paralyse the global energy market. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi also threatened that all Saudi oil and other critical facilities could be targeted if Riyadh intervened in Yemen. The threat came after Saudi Arabia struck Sana'a airport, leading to retaliatory Houthi missile strikes on Saudi Arabia.
Shipping declines
Week-to-week cargo shipments through the Strait of Hormuz dropped by almost a quarter at the beginning of the month, according to maritime data firm Lloyd's List Intelligence, and that was before the recent rise in tit-for-tat attacks. Given the risks, some oil shippers are transiting the strait with location devices turned off, but many are staying put, Lloyd's said on Thursday. A growing amount of the region's energy is being shipped through pipelines, but not nearly enough to offset the decline in shipping through the strait.
Diplomatic efforts
Pakistan's foreign ministry on Thursday said efforts were still under way to bring the US and Tehran to the negotiating table but acknowledged that was becoming increasingly difficult. Despite the escalating conflict and interruption of trade, Trump said the war was going well for the US. "We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labour very, very shortly," Trump said in an address to the American public.
