Iran and the United States widened their armed confrontation overnight into Friday, with U.S. forces hitting bridges, rail lines, and a maritime observation tower, according to video evidence and Iranian state media. Tehran said it responded by attacking other regional states that host American military bases, and Kuwait reported strikes on its power and water facilities.
President Trump had declared a cease-fire understanding with Iran more than a week earlier, but since then U.S. and Iranian forces have exchanged daily blows. Mr. Trump has threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure to compel Iran into a settlement that would permanently halt the war and block its nuclear ambitions. Iranian officials have pledged to retaliate against civilian sites in neighboring countries.
Legal experts note that infrastructure vital to civilian survival, such as water treatment plants, is generally protected and attacks on them may constitute war crimes. However, strikes on railways and bridges can be justified if they serve military transport of troops or weapons.
U.S. Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East, confirmed Friday it had conducted strikes on Iran for a seventh straight night without detailing targets. Iranian state media reported blasts in Sirik, a port city with naval bases and a history of U.S. strikes.
In a Thursday night statement, Central Command said earlier attacks “hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities,” but did not confirm Iranian claims of bridge and railroad hits.
Central Command added that it destroyed a southern Iran port surveillance tower used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to track and target commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media acknowledged the tower strike and said U.S. forces also hit bridges, railways, and roads linking southern Iran to the interior. A New York Times-verified video showed a burning vehicle in the crater of two destroyed bridges in Hormozgan province.
State broadcasters said U.S. strikes also struck a railway station near a naval base in Bandar Abbas, a city repeatedly targeted. Marzieh, a teacher there, said recent airstrikes hit an airport, air force facilities, and dock/naval zones, destroying fishing boats.
“The ground was shaking,” she said, requesting only her first name for fear of reprisal. “It is truly terrifying.”
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said eight died and 20 were wounded in U.S. attacks across Iran on Thursday night and Friday morning.
Iran’s military said it retaliated by firing on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Syria, and Qatar.
Kuwait said a power plant and water desalination plant were hit, sparking fires and damaging generators. Its army reported Iranian drone strikes on military sites injured personnel, and shared images of the defense minister visiting them in hospital.
In Iraq, an Iranian drone strike on Kurdish fighters killed nine new recruits, per the Komala party, with three wounded. Iranian Kurdish areas near the border have faced repeated attacks since late February.
Mohsen Rezaei, senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, warned on state TV that if U.S. attacks persist two or three more days, Iran would begin “a phase of full-scale offensive and destructive operations.”
The fighting has nearly halted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil and gas route. Only eight ships passed Thursday versus over 130 daily pre-war. Oil prices stay high amid little diplomacy.
On Friday, a tanker in the strait was hit by a projectile, per UK Maritime Trade Operations; minor damage, no injuries. Tasnim, linked to the Guards Corps, said a Thai-flagged vessel ignoring warnings was targeted. Iran has often attacked strait ships asserting control.
The U.S. military says its strikes aim to curb Iran’s threats to commerce. Tuesday it reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to pressure Tehran economically.
Reporting was contributed by Michael Levenson, Jenny Gross, Lynsey Chutel, Max Bearak, Yeganeh Torbati, James McManagan, Monika Cvorak and Erika Solomon.