The United States expanded its strikes against Iran early Saturday morning, moving from the Strait of Hormuz hotspot to several other locations in central and southern Iran. Meanwhile, Iran continued to strike U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf, further weakening the fragile ceasefire.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces "launched a wave of strikes against Iran... for the seventh consecutive night. The strikes are intended to continue to degrade Iranian military capabilities, as directed by the Commander in Chief."
About six and a half hours later, at 05:00 Iranian time, CENTCOM announced that the wave of attacks had ended.
CENTCOM said it had struck "observation facilities, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons depots, and naval capabilities. US forces used fighter jets, aerial drones, warships, and other military assets."
Meanwhile, it is said that traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz has almost completely stopped, due to numerous actions by American forces and missile launches by the Iranian side.
On Saturday, Iranian state media reported several attacks by US forces - including with fighter jets - along the Strait of Hormuz, but also in places far from this important waterway, including the city of Yazd in central Iran, the southwestern city of Ahvaz and Khuzestan province on the northern edge of the Persian Gulf.
Iranian media reported that "several transportation routes" in areas of Hormozgan province - which borders the Strait of Hormuz - had been blocked as a result of "enemy" attacks on main roads, at least two bridges and a road tunnel.
A day earlier, Iranian state media had reported that at least five bridges had been hit in the south of the country.
Seven people were said to have been killed in attacks on bridges in the southern port of Bandar Khamir, where the railway station was also hit.
It was also said that an airport further east and away from the coast, in the city of Iranshahr, in a province bordering Pakistan, had been hit.
Reuters news agency said images it had verified showed rubble, broken railings and a damaged vehicle on a collapsed bridge in Bandar Khamir.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said three people were killed while crossing the bridge.
CENTCOM did not disclose the targets of its attacks, and many of Iran's claims cannot be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Iranian Major General Mohsen Rezaei threatened that Tehran is ready to resume "full-scale offensive operations" if the US attacks continue for another two or three days.
Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said: "Iran will no longer be limited to equal retaliatory responses... and no political border will be safe."
He made this statement according to the Iranian news agency IRIB.
Gulf Arab states, allies of the US, reported approaching Iranian missiles and drones, with attacks causing injuries and damage to civilian infrastructure.
Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Friday night that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy had "targeted" a Thai-flagged ship that was trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran also announced attacks on Gulf countries that host US military bases, including Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, as well as on a US ship in the northern Indian Ocean.
In a post on the X platform, the Kuwaiti military quoted a Ministry of Defense spokesman as saying: “The sinful Iranian aggression resulted in the striking of several Kuwaiti army facilities and camps with hostile drones, causing the injury of a number of Kuwaiti ground forces soldiers while performing their duties.”
The Kuwaiti military also said a fire broke out and caused damage to power generation units at a power and water desalination plant, although the exact timing of this attack was not clear.
The Iranian navy fired a coast-to-sea cruise missile at what it called a hostile American ship in the northern Indian Ocean, state news agency IRNA reported.
According to the Iranian navy, the missile launch caused "fear and panic" and forced the ship to move out of range of Iranian naval forces.
A United Nations spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was concerned about the latest escalation, specifically mentioning "attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region."
CENTCOM also stated that during the first three days of the renewed blockade of Iranian ports, US forces diverted four merchant ships, disabled another and boarded one vessel to "ensure full compliance" with the blockade.
According to data company Kpler, maritime transport through the Strait of Hormuz - through which about 20 percent of the world's crude oil and gas supplies passed before the war - has almost completely stopped after the resumption of the exchange of attacks.
Just eight ships passed through the strait on July 16, the lowest number in three weeks. The day before, 15 ships had passed through, while two weeks ago the number was 48, according to Kpler.
Before the war began, an average of more than 100 ships passed through this strategic waterway every day./ REL
