The US military launched a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran following the collapse of a temporary ceasefire.
American forces deployed fighter jets, warships, and aerial drones to target critical military infrastructure across the country, with operations concluding at 21:30 ET (02:30 BST). The bombardment marks the most significant escalation in the region since US President Donald Trump declared the diplomatic truce was “over” last week.
US Central Command (Centcom) said its forces “hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities”.
Escalation threatens global energy supplies
The conflict has rapidly shifted from localised cross-border engagements to a systemic crisis threatening global energy supplies. Following the breakdown of the June peace talks, the US military re-imposed a strict naval blockade of Iranian ports, prompting Tehran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed to maritime traffic.
The economic ramifications are immediate, as a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas used to transit through the strait. Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, has said he has concerns about global energy supplies.
Tehran has retaliated by striking American allies across the Gulf, hitting critical utilities and state infrastructure. Kuwait confirmed that a second utility plant had been compromised in less than 48 hours.
“Another electricity and water distillation plant was targeted by a hostile attack that led to a fire erupting in one of the plant’s components, with some power generation units deactivated,” the Ministry of Electricity and Water said.
Regional defences engaged as casualties rise
The kinetic theatre has expanded significantly, drawing in the air defences of neighbouring Arab states. Jordan’s military also said it had intercepted 10 Iranian missiles fired into its airspace overnight. No damage was reported. Bahrain also said its air defences had “thwarted” Iranian attacks.
While the Pentagon has pushed back against claims of widespread damage, intelligence sources indicate Western forces are taking casualties. Sources have told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that several American service members were injured during Iranian attacks on two Jordanian bases over the past week.
Information warfare remains intense. The US military has also denied a report in Iran’s Fars news agency that two oil tankers “exploded and caught fire while passing through a mined route south of the Strait of Hormuz”. Centcom said, “Like most IRGC claims, this is false.”
Casualty Overview: Despite Washington’s focus on military assets, local officials in Hormozgan province confirmed that seven people were killed in the latest strikes.
BBC Verify and BBC Persian have verified footage of damage to Gariveh Bridge after night videos showed a ball of flames on top of it. Daylight images showed a crumbled stretch of road with rubble around the broken bridge.
The US has meanwhile denied Tehran’s earlier claims that the US attacked civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges, a train station and an airport. A White House spokesperson told the BBC the US had “carried out strikes exclusively on military targets, including military logistics infrastructure.
The strategic objective remains the degradation of Iran’s coastal monitoring system. The US also said it had destroyed a control tower in the port of Chabahar, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sharing an image of the tower collapsing as it was hit by a strike. Centcom said the tower was part of an IRGC maritime surveillance network.
