The United States military says it has continued strikes on Iran for a seventh consecutive night, following the collapse of talks aimed at securing a longer-term ceasefire.
US Central Command said the operations were intended to further reduce Iranian military capabilities and were being conducted under the direction of President Donald Trump. The statement followed Trump’s declaration that a temporary ceasefire agreement was over.
Reports from Iran said explosions were heard in Yazd, in central Iran, as well as on Qeshm island and in Bandar Abbas, a port city close to the Strait of Hormuz. The reports could not be independently assessed from the material provided.
Conflicting accounts around the strait
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers exploded while travelling through what it described as a mined section of the shipping channel south of the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command rejected that account, saying the claim was false.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stopped amid continuing exchanges between US and Iranian forces, according to the report. The route is a major global energy corridor, carrying about one-fifth of worldwide oil and liquefied natural gas supplies in normal conditions.
Iran’s armed forces also said on Friday that they had attacked several US military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Syria. The US denied the claims. Kuwaiti officials, however, said Iranian drone strikes had injured some of their soldiers and damaged a power plant and water desalination stations.
Claims over civilian sites
Washington has denied Iranian allegations that US forces struck civilian infrastructure, including bridges, a train station and an airport. Authorities in Hormozgan province said seven people were killed in the attacks.
The report said footage reviewed by BBC Verify and BBC Persian showed damage to Gariveh Bridge, including a collapsed section of road. A White House spokesperson said US operations had targeted military sites, including military logistics infrastructure.
The strikes come one week after the reported start of nightly US attacks, with the future of the Strait of Hormuz remaining a central issue in efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire.
