By Lawrence Agbo
The United States has carried out a sixth consecutive night of military strikes on Iran, further intensifying the conflict as Tehran accused Washington of attacking civilian infrastructure and broadened its retaliatory operations across the Middle East.
The latest exchange of attacks comes amid growing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping route, raising concerns over regional stability and the potential impact on international energy supplies.
In a statement, the US Central Command (Centcom) said American forces targeted dozens of Iranian military installations overnight, including coastal surveillance systems, air defence sites, logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities. It also confirmed that US Marines boarded an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and redirected three commercial vessels as part of an expanded maritime blockade of Iranian ports.
Iranian state media, however, alleged that the strikes hit civilian facilities, including bridges, a railway station and an airport. Reports confirmed damage to a bridge near Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province, though Centcom maintained its operations were directed solely at military targets.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced retaliatory strikes on US maritime surveillance radar installations in Oman as well as military targets in Kuwait and Bahrain. The IRGC also claimed responsibility for an attack on a US special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria, describing it as retaliation for the killing of Iranian troops earlier in the week. US and Syrian authorities had not responded to the claim at the time of reporting.
Elsewhere, Jordan’s military said it intercepted three Iranian missiles without casualties, while Kurdish security forces in Iraq reported shooting down eight drones over Erbil.
The renewed fighting has effectively kept the Strait of Hormuz closed after Iran moved to block the strategic waterway following earlier US-Israeli military operations, heightening fears of disruptions to global oil supplies.
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that the prolonged crisis could have serious consequences for energy markets if tensions continue.
“We should be worried, and I am worried, if the situation does not improve in the next few weeks,” Birol said.
Iranian authorities said seven people were killed in the latest US strikes. The country’s health ministry added that at least 38 people had died and more than 400 others had been injured since the latest phase of hostilities began.
Despite the escalating military confrontation, the White House insisted diplomatic engagement with Tehran remains possible.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump remains open to negotiations but warned that the US would respond firmly to any attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The president will hold them accountable when they turn their back on the words that they state to the United States. But he is always open to diplomacy at the very same time,” she said.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, maintained that Tehran would not honour any agreement that failed to serve its national interests, stressing that the country’s security depended on maintaining its position in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest escalation comes just days after Trump publicly thanked Iran for releasing US detainee Dena Karari, describing the move as “a gesture of goodwill,” briefly raising hopes for renewed diplomatic engagement before the conflict intensified once again.
(The Sun)