The bombardment hit Iranshahr airport in southeastern Iran, Bandar Khamir railway station and five bridges in Hormozgan province. The strikes also targeted dozens of coastal surveillance, air defence, logistics and maritime facilities near Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island.
Seven people were killed when bridges were attacked in Bandar Khamir, a coastal city west of Bandar Abbas, Iranian authorities said. Casualty numbers from the other locations were not immediately available, and independent verification remained difficult because access to several affected areas was restricted.
US Central Command said fighter aircraft, drones and warships used precision-guided weapons against sites supporting Iran’s coastal defences and military operations. Washington says the campaign is intended to weaken Tehran’s capacity to monitor shipping, deploy missiles and enforce its restrictions on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest wave represented a significant expansion from attacks on command centres, missile positions and naval installations to infrastructure that supports civilian transport and commercial activity. Damage to bridges, railway facilities and airports could disrupt movement across Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces, which contain key ports, naval bases and routes connecting Iran’s interior with the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
A surveillance tower at Chabahar port also appeared to have collapsed after another strike. The port is an important commercial gateway for Afghanistan and Central Asia and has been developed with support from New Delhi. Iranian authorities described the structure as part of the port’s civilian traffic-management system, although the Revolutionary Guards maintain a presence at several Iranian maritime facilities.
Iran retaliated on Friday with missile and drone attacks against facilities linked to the United States in Bahrain and Kuwait. Air-defence systems were activated in Qatar, where falling fragments injured a child in Doha. Tehran has also targeted bases and installations in Jordan and other Gulf states during the latest exchange.
The escalation has further undermined an interim ceasefire negotiated in June. Fighting resumed after disputes over shipping routes, sanctions relief and Iran’s demand for greater authority over vessels using the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran wants commercial ships to travel through a channel close to its coast and has proposed charging passage fees after a 60-day negotiation period.
Washington has encouraged vessels to use a route closer to Oman and has restored a naval blockade on Iranian ports. American forces have redirected three commercial ships accused of attempting to breach the blockade, disabled another vessel that failed to comply and boarded one ship to enforce the restrictions.
Shipping through the strait has again fallen sharply as operators assess missile, drone and interception risks. Some vessels have switched off tracking systems, while others remain anchored outside the waterway. Cargo movements had already dropped by almost a quarter at the start of July, before the latest sequence of attacks.
The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about one-fifth of globally traded oil and natural gas, making disruption there a direct threat to energy supplies, freight rates and insurance costs. Oil prices have risen as traders weigh the possibility of longer closures, damage to export terminals and the extension of hostilities towards other maritime corridors.
Iran has warned that strikes on its electricity network or other essential infrastructure could prompt a wider response. Tehran has also signalled that Houthi forces in Yemen could attempt to disrupt the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the southern entrance to the Red Sea, if the United States attacks power plants or other strategic facilities.
President Donald Trump has threatened further strikes on bridges and energy installations unless Iran returns to negotiations and loosens restrictions in the strait. He has also declined to rule out the deployment of ground forces, including an operation against Kharg Island, which handles much of Iran’s crude oil exports.
