US launches seventh night of Iran strikes as Hormuz conflict escalates

The United States military launched its seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Friday, escalating a conflict that has tightened its grip over the vital Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command announced the strikes, which began at 7 p.m. GMT, were intended to "continue degrading Iranian military capabilities."

Earlier on Friday, U.S. airstrikes struck bridges in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people, according to Iranian state TV. These bridges served as a key transit point for Bandar Abbas, Iran's primary port. Further U.S. airstrikes targeted a tower in Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, which the U.S. military claimed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used to facilitate attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. also hit key electrical infrastructure and Iranshahr airport, prompting Iran's energy ministry to urge citizens to reduce electricity consumption due to strain on the power grid amid soaring temperatures.

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continue degrading Iranian military capabilities

Human rights experts have noted that strikes on civilian infrastructure not used for military purposes could constitute a war crime. By Friday morning, renewed U.S. strikes had killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 400 in Iran, a spokesperson for Iran's health ministry reported. These attacks appear to be a follow-through of former President Donald Trump's promise to expand strikes against Iran, including targeting infrastructure and power plants. Reports suggest Trump met with senior department heads this week to discuss an expanded aerial campaign to compel Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The ongoing conflict, now in its seventh day, has further undermined the interim deal between Iran and the U.S., which aimed to keep the strait open and allow for negotiations toward a permanent truce. Iran has closed the strait, and the U.S. reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports and ships on Wednesday. The IRGC responded to the U.S. strikes by threatening a "devastating price" for countries hosting U.S. bases if American attacks on infrastructure continued. The Iranian military also targeted Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar. In Qatar, falling debris wounded a child as air defenses intercepted missiles, while Kuwaiti authorities reported Iranian strikes hit a power and desalination plant.

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The American enemy and the hosts of its bases in the region should know that crossing red lines and attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure will have a very severe and devastating price to pay