In brief
The US Central Command announced its seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets, citing a directive to degrade Iranian capabilities. Iranian forces seized on the occasion to claim that two oil tankers exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, an allegation the US debunked as false. The region’s transit lanes, a vital corridor for about 20 % of global oil and LNG, have seen a significant slowdown in commercial traffic. Reports indicate that US attacks have focused on military logistics sites, while Iran has denied targeting civilian infrastructure although damage to a bridge in Hormozgan province was later confirmed. The clashes underscore renewed hostilities after a ceasefire reached its expiry.
US forces announced the seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets, stating the operations are in accordance with a directive to degrade Iranian capabilities.
The US Central Command (Centcom) issued a statement saying the attacks are designed to systematically affect Iranian military infrastructure. It also clarified that the claim of two oil tankers exploding in the Strait of Hormuz was false.
Iran’s state‑run Fars agency reported that the alleged explosions and fires occurred in a mined section south of the strait, and that they were witnessed both in Yazd and at Qeshm Island near Bandar Abbas. Centcom counter‑ed on X, labeling the claim as another instance of misinformation.
Since the crisis began, shipping traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz – accounting for roughly one‑fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supplies – has largely ceased. Gulf‑region navies and local authorities say traffic has been interrupted by the escalating tit‑for‑tat strikes between US and Iranian forces.
In recent days, Iran claimed to have attacked US facilities across Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and – for the first time – Syria, a claim the United States denied. Kuwaiti officials reported Iranian drone strikes that allegedly injured soldiers and damaged a power plant and a desalination plant.
According to US sources, all strikes have targeted military logistics infrastructure. A White House spokesperson confirmed that the US committed only to military targets and not civilian infrastructure. However, provincial authorities in the Hormozgan area reported seven fatalities, and verified footage later confirmed damage to a bridge in Gariveh.
The attacks mark a full week of nightly US strikes since the ceasefire talks collapsed, illustrating the hardening of tensions as peace talks stall over the future of the Strait of Hormuz.
Images shared on Friday showed a damaged bridge in Iran's southern Hormozgan province. Commercial vessels have largely stopped passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
