US launches seventh night of Iran strikes as Hormuz conflict escalates
Seventh Night of American Airstrikes on Iran as Hormuz Tensions Mount
US launches seventh night of Iran - The United States military announced on Friday evening that it had commenced its seventh consecutive evening of bombardments against Iranian targets. This escalation comes amid intensifying hostilities surrounding the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. According to a statement posted on the social media platform X by US Central Command, the aerial operations commenced at 7pm GMT with the objective to "continue degrading Iranian military capabilities."
Reports from Iranian news outlets indicated that residents in several cities, including Sirik, Ahvaz, and Yazd, heard explosions or witnessed strikes. Meanwhile, late on Friday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that two oil tankers had struck mines within the Hormuz waterway and subsequently exploded. American military officials disputed this assertion, declaring the claim inaccurate.
Regional Impact and Infrastructure Damage
Hostilities persisted into Saturday, with Iranian state media reporting that the IRGC had targeted multiple locations. These included a facility where American combat aircraft were stationed at Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain, as well as an intelligence datacentre in Bahrain known as Batelco. Additionally, the IRGC reportedly attacked a US naval fuel-support pier located at al-Ahmadi port and a US signals and communications centre situated in Kuwait.
Kuwait temporarily halted operations at its international airport due to Iranian missile and drone attacks. Earlier on Friday, American airstrikes struck bridges within Iran's southern Hormozgan province. Iranian state television reported that at least seven individuals perished in these attacks. The bridges served as a crucial transit point for Bandar Abbas, which stands as Iran's primary port city.
Further American aerial bombardments brought down a tower in Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman. The US military stated that the IRGC utilized this structure to facilitate attacks on vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz. American forces also targeted key electrical infrastructure and Iranshahr airport. Following these strikes on energy facilities, Iran's energy ministry urged citizens to reduce their electricity and air conditioning consumption as the power grid faced significant strain.
Casualties and Diplomatic Fallout
Human rights experts have noted that strikes on civilian infrastructure not utilized for military purposes could potentially constitute war crimes. By Friday morning, a spokesperson for Iran's health ministry, Hossein Kermanpour, reported that renewed American strikes had killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 400 within Iran.
The attacks appear to represent the continuation of Donald Trump's pledge to broaden strikes against Iran, which included targeting infrastructure and power plants. The US president reportedly convened with senior department heads during the week to discuss an expanded aerial campaign aimed at compelling Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The current phase of fighting has now reached its seventh day, further weakening the interim agreement between Iran and the United States. This deal was intended to maintain the strait's openness and provide space for negotiations leading toward a permanent truce. Iran has closed the strait, while the United States reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports and ships on Wednesday.
"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 declared in a formal statement.
The Iranian military responded to American strikes by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar. Qatar, serving as one of the mediators between the two nations, had largely avoided Iranian retaliation in recent violence rounds. Qatari authorities reported that a child was wounded by falling debris as air defences intercepted incoming missiles.
In Kuwait, officials confirmed that Iranian strikes damaged a power and desalination plant, affecting the water facility. The nation depends on desalinated water for approximately 90% of its drinking supply. Authorities stated they were evaluating the damage and working to restore operations.
The renewed conflict has centered on the Strait of Hormuz, which previously transported roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supply before the war began. Although the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran last month stipulated that the strait should remain open to traffic, both parties interpreted the agreement differently. Washington and Tehran advanced competing plans for ship transit, with Iran attacking certain vessels that followed the American route. Shipping in the waterway has decreased substantially over recent days as violence intensified, though most ships continuing to navigate the strait utilized the Iranian route.
Iran's Tasnim news agency had previously cited an informed source indicating that a Thai-flagged ship was involved in the ongoing tensions, though details remained incomplete.