The US military has launched a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran, as fighting over the Strait of Hormuz escalates and Washington denies hitting civilian targets. The attacks, which began at 7pm GMT on Friday, were designed to “continue degrading Iranian military capabilities”, US Central Command said in a post on X. But Iranian state media and local officials reported that bridges, a train station and an airport were hit. BBC Verify confirmed damage to Gariveh Bridge in Hormozgan province, where a crumbled stretch of road and rubble was seen in daylight images. Seven people were killed in the province, according to provincial authorities.
A White House spokesperson told the BBC the US had “carried out strikes exclusively on military targets, including military logistics infrastructure”. The latest wave of attacks came after Donald Trump threatened to hit Iranian bridges and power stations to force Tehran back to talks. The war began on 28 February with US-Israeli attacks, prompting Iran to retaliate against Israel and US targets in the Gulf. Under international law, civilian objects lose protection if used to support an enemy’s war effort.
“US denies hitting civilian targets as seventh night of strikes kills seven in Iran's Hormozgan province.”
The US also destroyed a surveillance tower at Chah Bahar port on the Gulf of Oman, which US Central Command said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used “for decades … to track and target commercial vessels”. In response, Iran’s IRGC said it struck US maritime surveillance radar sites in Oman as well as targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, and claimed to have attacked a US special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria. Syria has not commented, and Centcom said no US troops in the region had recently been killed or captured. Kuwaiti authorities said Iranian strikes had hit power generation and water desalination stations, and the army said several personnel were wounded.
Iran’s energy ministry told citizens to reduce electricity use after strikes on power infrastructure caused strain on the grid, particularly in the south where temperatures soared. Iran’s health ministry spokesperson said strikes had killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 400 by Friday morning. The UN called attacks on civilian infrastructure “unacceptable”, with human rights experts warning such strikes could constitute war crimes.
The conflict has now entered its seventh day and further undermined an interim deal meant to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Iran has shut the strait, and the US reimposed a blockade of Iranian ports on Wednesday. With the ceasefire collapsed, no side appears ready to back down.