U.S. Attacks Bridges and Airport in Iran — Tehran Strikes Back

Here's what it's all about

• The U.S. military has attacked several bridges and an airport in Iran.
• According to U.S. officials, Iran's military capabilities should be further weakened.
• Iran responded with new missile and drone attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Summary created with

According to media reports, the U.S. military bombed several bridges and an airport in Iran during the sixth consecutive night of attacks. The attacks on the bridges were intended to cut off supply routes to an Iranian naval base in the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. official. In response, Iran once again launched retaliatory strikes against targets in the Gulf states allied with Washington—Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.

At least seven people were killed in U.S. attacks on roads and bridges in the area around the port city of Bandar Chamir on the Persian Gulf, according to Press TV, a broadcaster loyal to the Iranian government. At least nine others were injured in the attacks in the southern province of Hormozgan. According to the report, Iran’s ambassador to the UN stated that the U.S. attacks on civilian infrastructure constituted war crimes. The U.S. military, however, stated that it had struck dozens of “military targets” with precision-guided munitions, including air defense systems and coastal surveillance radar installations.

U.S. Military: Weaknesses in Iran's Military Capabilities

The goal of the attacks was to “further weaken Iran’s military capabilities,” the U.S. military’s regional command (Centcom) stated on X. The attacks have now ended, according to a statement released early this morning German time. The Iranian news agency Fars, citing official sources, reported that, among others, the Kahurestan and Gariveh bridges on major transportation routes in Hormozgan had been struck.

The road between the port city of Bandar Abbas and the cities of Chamir and Lar is completely blocked, as is a second route in the region, according to reports. The Kahurestan Bridge is located on the route connecting the port city of Bandar Abbas with the city of Shiraz further to the northwest and, according to the U.S. newspaper *The New York Times*, is considered an important route between the Persian Gulf coast and the southern interior of Iran.

Report: Airport in Iran Also Hit

Bandar Abbas is home to a naval base of the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and is of crucial importance to Iran’s ability to project power in the Strait of Hormuz, the *Wall Street Journal* reported. According to the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the airport in Iranshahr in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan was also hit. According to Press TV, at least one missile struck the area. An IRIB correspondent reported that the resulting fires had since been extinguished, but power to the airport had been cut off. There were no fatalities.

According to Press TV, the Iranian military subsequently announced that it had targeted a helicopter base and a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft in Bahrain in retaliatory strikes. Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior had earlier reported a siren alert on X. In Kuwait, air defense systems were activated in response to missile and drone attacks, according to the Kuwaiti military. The Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported that U.S. radar installations and missile launch pads were on fire there. According to the report, U.S. facilities in Jordan were also targeted. The broadcaster’s claims could not be verified immediately.

According to the Qatari Ministry of the Interior, a child was injured in Qatar by falling debris during an air defense operation. The Gulf states had already come under fire from Iran in recent nights after the U.S. military had once again attacked Iran.

Trump Speaks of Major Successes in Iran

In a speech to the nation, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that “great progress” was being made in Iran and that “you will see the fruits of this work very, very soon.” He said nothing more about the conflict. On Wednesday, he had once again threatened Iran with attacks on civilian infrastructure. “Next week, all power plants and bridges will be destroyed, unless they come to the negotiating table and negotiate,” he told Fox News.

On the same day, Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf reiterated his country’s position in a statement—part of which was read on television—that Iran claims control over the strait, which is vital for global trade in oil, gas, and fertilizer. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, on the other hand, wrote on X that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflict has escalated again due to the dispute over the strategic strait. While Ghalibaf left the door open for new negotiations, he also cautioned that one should not be afraid to assert one’s own interests by force.

U.S. Spokesperson: Iran Remains Interested in the Agreement

According to U.S. government spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, Tehran remains interested in reaching an agreement with Washington. “Iran continues to be in close contact with the United States,” Leavitt told the Washington press corps on Thursday. Leavitt attributed the fact that the U.S. military has nevertheless been attacking targets in Iran for days to the behavior of the Iranian leadership. Trump will not stand idly by while Iran attacks ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the spokeswoman explained.

The attacks come at a time when the U.S. is once again enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian ports. The U.S. military command Centcom released photos showing U.S. Marines boarding and searching a merchant ship. Since the blockade was reinstated earlier this week, the U.S. has diverted three ships and disabled another that failed to comply with orders, according to the statement.