US and Iran Trade Strikes for Seventh Consecutive Night
The United States and Iran exchanged drone and missile strikes on Friday, marking the seventh consecutive night of hostilities. The US Central Command stated that its forces conducted attacks aimed at 'continuing to degrade Iranian military capabilities.'
In a significant escalation, Iran accused US forces of targeting civilian infrastructure, including an airport, a railway station, and two bridges. Tehran also claimed it had struck US assets across the region. However, the US side did not confirm targeting civilian infrastructure, despite President Donald Trump's earlier threats to hit Iranian infrastructure.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed 'deep concern' over the escalation, calling attacks on civilian infrastructure 'unacceptable.'
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military advisor to Iran's supreme leader, warned that Tehran would resume 'full-scale offensive operations' if US strikes continued for another two or three days. 'Iran will no longer limit itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses...and no political border will be safe,' he said, according to Iranian state media.
The conflict began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for global oil, and launching attacks on Israel and American interests across the Gulf.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards aerospace force commander Majid Mousavi stated that 'targeted strikes from across Iran against the enemy will continue' until the US halts operations against Iran's coastal facilities in the south and around the strait.
David Khalfa, a Middle East specialist at the Jean-Jaures Foundation in Paris, noted that a 'widening range of strategic infrastructure' is being drawn into the conflict. 'The paradox is that, while the conflict continues to escalate, neither side has a strategic interest in allowing this dynamic to continue. Yet both perceive any compromise as a form of capitulation,' he said.
Iran's energy ministry urged citizens to reduce electricity use and switch off air conditioners during peak hours, as the power grid came under strain from what it claimed were US strikes on energy facilities. Iran also launched widespread strikes on Friday, targeting infrastructure across the region.
In Kuwait, an Iranian attack damaged a power and water plant, prompting the electricity ministry to urge rationing. The Kuwaiti military reported several troops wounded by Iranian drones targeting its bases. Iran's Guards said they had targeted US radar systems and military aircraft in Qatar to 'punish the aggressor.' Doha confirmed it intercepted a missile attack.
In Bahrain, Iranian state media reported that Tehran targeted US helicopters and planes at an airbase. The island nation urged citizens to take shelter. Jordan's military said it shot down three Iranian missiles. In Iraq's Kurdistan region, drone and rocket strikes killed nine members of an Iranian Kurdish armed group.
Iran's Guards also claimed attacks on two US radar sites in Oman and the Al-Tanf military base in Syria. A Syrian military source denied the attack, and US forces said they had withdrawn from the base earlier this year.
Calls for a return to diplomatic talks have emerged, though no concrete steps have been announced.
