Iran suspends Tehran-Mashhad trains after reported US strike on bridge

Iranian passenger train services connecting Tehran and Mashhad have been temporarily halted after a reported US airstrike damaged a railway bridge, according to state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

IRIB announced the suspension on X/Twitter, stating, "Following the criminal US attack early this morning on a section of the Tehran-Mashhad railway, passenger train services have been disrupted." Passengers stranded by the disruption were reportedly heard chanting, "Iranians do not accept humiliation, even at the cost of their own lives."

“

Following the criminal US attack early this morning on a section of the Tehran-Mashhad railway, passenger train services have been disrupted.

Repair crews are currently working to fix the damaged bridge and restore the rail route. In the interim, alternative arrangements are being made to transport passengers to Mashhad by road. This transportation disruption occurs as mourners are traveling to farewell Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose burial is scheduled to take place in Mashhad.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has alleged that the US strike was a deliberate effort to detract from Khamenei's burial ceremonies. Iran's state-organized funeral processions, which began last week, serve as both a religious commemoration and a demonstration of the Islamic Republic's continuity following Khamenei's death after nearly four decades of rule. The week-long procession included public events in Qom, Najaf, and Karbala before reaching its final destination in Mashhad, home to a significant Shiite pilgrimage shrine.

“

Iranians do not accept humiliation, even at the cost of their own lives.