The United States military expanded its bombing campaign against Iranian infrastructure into a seventh consecutive day on Friday, collapsing major bridges in southern Iran and triggering immediate retaliatory missile fire across the Middle East. The escalating conflict follows the collapse of the June ceasefire, resulting in a full United States naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
At least seven people died during the recent American strikes on bridges in the port city of Bandar Khamir. Operations also destroyed a tower at the Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated by targeting a desalination plant in neighboring Kuwait, exposing severe vulnerabilities in the region’s drinking water supply.
The IRGC simultaneously launched ballistic missiles and drones at American military aircraft stationed in Jordan, alongside attacks on radar systems at the al-Udeid airbase in Qatar, according to government statements. The widening airspace dangers forced Air France, KLM, Aegean Airlines, and Airbaltic to suspend flights to regional transit hubs in Dubai, Riyadh, Beirut, and Tel Aviv.
The intense wave of strikes follows the breakdown of a temporary agreement established in June. Following Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in early July, President Donald Trump officially declared the truce void and ordered more than 20 warships to blockade Iranian ports and coastal oil terminals. The White House recently altered its economic approach to the blockade, abandoning a proposed cargo toll through the Strait of Hormuz in favor of securing alternative trade and investment agreements from Gulf Arab leaders.
International pressure to halt the exchange is accelerating. The Foreign Ministers of China and Pakistan issued a joint statement from Shanghai on Friday evening, urging an immediate return to the negotiating table. Commercial carriers like Cathay Pacific have indefinitely delayed the resumption of their Middle East passenger and freight services as the military exchange continues.