US Hits Civilian Sites in Southern Iran

The US has started hitting civilian sites in Iran. The latest attacks targeted five bridges, power facilities, and a train station in southern Iran.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the governor in Hormozgan province said US air strikes hit five bridges. The UN considers the targeting of civilian infrastructure in war a war crime. But this has not stopped American President Donald Trump from saying his military will do it.

At least two people died and four were hurt from US strikes on the Garveh bridge. This bridge connects Bandar Abbas to Khmeir.

On Thursday night, the US Army carried out major strikes on Iran for the sixth night in a row. By Friday morning, Iran had launched retaliatory strikes on US bases in the Middle East. This included a US base in Syria, marking the first time this has happened.

Tensions rose when the US and Iran resumed missile and drone strikes. This followed Iranian attacks on commercial ships passing through the Strait. Iran targeted these ships for supposedly breaking an agreement with the US. In return, the US accused Iran of breaking the same agreement.

The missile and drone strike by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Iran last Tuesday started a back-and-forth of missile exchanges between the two countries.

On Friday morning, CENTCOM posted on X, saying their precision munitions hit many Iranian military targets. These included coastal surveillance sites, air defense sites, military logistics, and maritime capabilities.

Iran, however, reported that the strikes also hit Lar, a bridge near Latidan village. Two bridges on the Kahoorestan, Lar route were hit. A partially constructed bridge connecting Bandar e-Khamir, Keshar, and Bandar Abbas was also affected, along with a bridge in the village of Maru in the Khmeir district.

Some of the damaged bridges are now closed or blocked. Provincial authorities advised the public not to use them.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that President Donald Trump threatened a US attack on Iran’s civilian infrastructure if there is no deal by next week. He said the army was “going to knock out all their power plants…all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”

Trump had also previously warned about denuclearising with or without a deal. He said he would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded, saying the transit corridor will not operate under US aggression.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces, said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war state. He accused the US of trying to destabilise the corridor out of fear of Iran’s control over it.

The US, he claimed, is “terrified” of Iran’s hold over the strait. “The Strait of Hormuz will never return to what it was before the 40-day war,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq is offering a $10 million reward for the killing of US President Donald Trump. Iran International reported that the group said the bounty is for Trump's “audacious and offensive statements” against commanders killed while fighting ISIS.