The United States and Iran stepped up their military campaign across the Middle East on Friday, exchanging attacks on key infrastructure and military sites as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz continued to escalate.
The US broadened its offensive by striking additional bridges, energy facilities, and a surveillance tower at Iran’s strategic Chabahar port. The attacks align with President Donald Trump’s pledge to increase pressure on Tehran over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route for oil and gas.
Iran responded by launching missile attacks against US-aligned countries, including Qatar and Kuwait. In Kuwait, a missile strike damaged a desalination plant, a critical source of the country’s drinking water, while Qatar reported injuries from falling debris after its air defenses intercepted incoming missiles.
After days of escalating exchanges, the conflict remains centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz. An earlier ceasefire has collapsed, leaving little indication that the war—now more than four months old—will end soon.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday’s operation marked the seventh consecutive night of strikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure. According to the military, the attacks struck surveillance facilities, logistics hubs, underground weapons depots, and maritime assets.
Iranian officials said recent US airstrikes have killed dozens of civilians and injured hundreds, while the U.S. military acknowledged additional injuries among American service members.
Early Saturday, Iran claimed two oil tankers exploded after entering a mined section of the Strait of Hormuz. The country offered no evidence, and CENTCOM rejected the allegation, calling it false.
Since the conflict began in late February, Iran has effectively restricted shipping through the strait, pushing global oil prices above $86 a barrel and significantly reducing maritime traffic. Shipping activity has fallen to its lowest level in three weeks, according to international tracking data.
In a televised address Thursday, President Trump said US operations were succeeding and predicted the results would soon become evident. Before the war, Washington and Tehran had been negotiating over Iran’s nuclear program, but Trump now faces growing political pressure to end the conflict and avoid a prolonged military engagement.
Iranian state media reported that overnight US airstrikes struck bridges in Hormozgan province, including routes connecting Bandar Abbas—Iran’s largest port—to the country’s interior. The attacks also affected Bandar Khamir along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Energy Ministry acknowledged attacks on electrical infrastructure for the first time, urging residents in southern provinces to conserve electricity during extreme summer temperatures, although officials did not specify the damaged facilities.
Authorities said at least 46 people have died and more than 400 have been injured in recent US strikes, including eight fatalities in Friday’s bridge attack.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon confirmed 13 additional US service members were wounded this week, bringing total American casualties since the war began to 14 killed and 427 injured.
Friday’s strikes also brought down a surveillance tower at Iran’s Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, an important commercial gateway serving Afghanistan and regional trade. Iranian officials described the structure as part of the port’s commercial operations, while CENTCOM said it supported Iran’s Revolutionary Guard by monitoring commercial shipping and identifying potential maritime targets.
Iranian media later reported explosions in several provinces, including Khuzestan, Fars, Yazd, and Hormozgan, though authorities provided few details.
Iran broadened its retaliation by firing missiles toward Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Qatar activated air defenses twice, with one child reportedly injured by falling debris. Kuwait said a missile strike damaged a power and desalination facility, temporarily disrupting a key source of drinking water.
Kuwaiti officials also reported Iranian drone attacks on military installations that wounded several personnel. Jordan’s military intercepted three incoming Iranian missiles, while explosions were reported in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. Local officials said an attack targeting the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala killed at least nine people.
Separately, British maritime authorities reported that a commercial tanker sustained minor damage while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz near Oman. No injuries were reported, and Iran did not comment on the incident.
Iran continues to insist that the Strait of Hormuz falls under its exclusive authority and has argued that ships passing through should pay transit fees, despite the waterway being internationally recognized as open to global navigation.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened further attacks on Iranian infrastructure—including bridges and power facilities—to pressure Tehran into loosening its grip on the strait. The United States has also reinstated a naval blockade on Iranian ports in an effort to restrict the country’s oil exports.
Although some regional energy exports have shifted to pipelines, analysts say alternative routes cannot fully replace the shipping capacity of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade normally passes. Recent data show vessel traffic through the waterway has dropped to its lowest level in weeks, underscoring the conflict’s growing impact on global energy markets.