US hits Iran infrastructure in tit-for-tat strikes
US strikes on Iran hit bridges, a railway station and an airport as Tehran retaliates against Gulf allies over the Strait of Hormuz
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The US says the strikes aim to degrade Iranian military capabilities after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz and attacked Gulf allies.
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The United States launched fresh strikes on Iran's infrastructure on Thursday, hitting bridges, a railway station and an airport in the south.
It marked the sixth straight night of US attacks aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities. Tehran responded with missile strikes on American allies across the Gulf.
Why is the US striking Iran's infrastructure?
The US says the strikes aim to degrade Iranian military capabilities after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz and attacked Gulf allies.
Trump had threatened to hit power plants and bridges unless Iran returned to talks. The fighting resumed a month after a preliminary deal aimed to end the conflict that began in late February.
US Central Command said Thursday's wave of strikes was intended to further degrade Iranian military capabilities. Iranian state media reported strikes on two bridges, a railway station and an airport in Hormozgan province, near the strategic strait. State TV said three people were killed in the attack on the bridges.
State TV in Tehran also reported two explosions in Bushehr, home to Iran's only civilian nuclear plant, describing it as a continuation of American aggression.
How has Iran retaliated against US allies?
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they struck a US airbase in Jordan with ballistic missiles.
They described the strike as a response to an American attack near a children's cancer hospital in Ahvaz. Iranian state media said the hospital was evacuated after the nearby US strikes, which foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called barbaric.
Hani, a 34-year-old teacher from Ahvaz, said the strikes were very intense. He said his hands were shaking after hearing at least 11 or 12 explosions.
Kuwait said early Friday its air defenses were again combating missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain sounded air raid sirens. A senior Iranian military spokesman said Iran would never back down over the Strait of Hormuz.
What is happening with the Strait of Hormuz?
The Strait of Hormuz briefly reopened after the US-Iran deal in June, but Tehran said last week it would stay closed until US aggression ends. The US has also reimposed its blockade of Iran's ports. On Thursday, the American military said forces had boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman to ensure full compliance, and three vessels had been redirected since the blockade resumed.
Can diplomacy still resolve the conflict?
Pakistan's foreign office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad would continue urging all sides to end the violence and resume technical talks under the memorandum it helped broker last month. Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that a deal only has meaning if its clauses are implemented.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump would hold Iran accountable for going back on its word, while remaining open to diplomacy. She said Iran had expressed continued interest in a deal, but that Trump would not let attacks on ships in the strait go unanswered.
Trump earlier warned Iran that "next week it gets really bad for them" unless it returned to the table. Iran's military spokesman said Thursday that if the US followed through on its threats, all infrastructure in the region would be crushed. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said renewed US attacks have killed at least 30 people in Iran since last week.





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