US and Iran escalate strikes as Tehran hits Gulf states, US targets Iranian infrastructure

The U.S. and Iran are escalating their conflict after a ceasefire collapsed. The U.S. is striking Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and ports, while Iran is retaliating with missile attacks on U.S. bases and allies in at least six Gulf states. The conflict, centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz, has led to civilian casualties and accusations of war crimes, with Iran reporting at least 38 killed.

US strikes on Iranian infrastructure

• ▪The U.S. military has conducted strikes on Iran for at least six consecutive nights, hitting targets including bridges, rail lines, and military logistics infrastructure.
• ▪U.S. Central Command stated its strikes targeted dozens of Iranian military sites, including coastal surveillance, air defense systems, and a port surveillance tower in Chabahar.
• ▪U.S. strikes have damaged at least six bridges and railway infrastructure in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, aiming to cut off the port of Bandar Abbas.

International humanitarian law concerns

• ▪International law, including the Geneva Conventions, generally prohibits strikes on civilian infrastructure indispensable for survival, such as water plants.
• ▪Iran accused the U.S. of committing war crimes by striking civilian infrastructure, including an area near a children's cancer hospital in Ahvaz.
• ▪President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, to force Iran to negotiate.
• ▪Due to nearby U.S. strikes, 211 patients were evacuated from the Shahid Baghaei Specialised Hospital for children with cancer in Ahvaz.

Strategic significance of southern Iran

• ▪U.S. strikes have damaged at least six bridges and railway infrastructure in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, aiming to cut off the port of Bandar Abbas.
• ▪U.S. attacks have focused on southern Iran's Hormozgan province, particularly the port city of Bandar Abbas, which is home to Iran's main naval hub.

Strait of Hormuz confrontation

• ▪The U.S. has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt its oil shipments and has disabled at least one tanker for violating it.
• ▪The conflict is centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil and gas typically flows, and which Iran says it has closed.
• ▪An Iranian strike hit a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait, while Qatar and Jordan intercepted incoming Iranian missiles.
• ▪Iran retaliated by launching missile and drone attacks on U.S. military facilities and allies in at least six countries: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, and Syria.
• ▪The recent escalation follows the collapse of a ceasefire agreement reached in June between the U.S. and Iran.
• ▪Iran has reportedly asked Yemen's Houthi movement to be ready to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a key Red Sea oil route, if the U.S. strikes Iranian power infrastructure.

Civilian casualties in attacks

• ▪Iran's health ministry reported that U.S. strikes since June 22 have killed at least 38 people and wounded over 400.
• ▪A U.S. strike in southern Iran reportedly killed a woman and severely wounded her 1-year-old child, while a child in Qatar was injured by shrapnel from an intercepted Iranian missile.

Potential ground invasion preparations

• ▪Over 50,000 U.S. military personnel are currently deployed across the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.
• ▪Some analysts suggest the pattern of U.S. strikes on infrastructure could be a precursor to a limited ground invasion, though others view this as unlikely.

23 sources