Iran said it launched a new wave of attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf on Friday after the United States carried out a sixth straight night of strikes on Iranian military targets, as last month's cease-fire continued to unravel with daily exchanges of fire.
The U.S. military said it conducted another overnight round of strikes aimed at further weakening Iran's military capabilities, targeting sites on Qeshm Island and near Bandar Abbas, home to Iran's largest port as well as major naval and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps installations.
"U.S. forces, including fighter jets, unmanned aircraft and warships, employed precision-guided munitions against dozens of Iranian military targets, including coastal surveillance and air defense systems, military logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities," U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones at U.S. military bases in neighboring countries, including an air base in Jordan.
In the early hours of Friday, Iran's military said it had attacked U.S. facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Several explosion-like sounds were heard in the Qatari capital, Doha, according to a witness, and Qatar's Interior Ministry said a child was injured by shrapnel.
Iranian media reported that five bridges were hit in the latest round of U.S. strikes, along with the train station in the coastal city of Bandar Khamir and Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran.
Seven people were killed in U.S. attacks on bridges in Bandar Khamir, a port city in southern Iran, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
Shipping halted again in Strait of Hormuz
The escalation has once again largely halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important shipping route for oil and gas, driving up global energy prices.
Tehran resumed its blockade of the strait, while Washington reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports on Wednesday.
Iran has signaled it could encourage its Houthi allies in Yemen to close another key waterway, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, if Washington attacks Iranian infrastructure, sources told Reuters.
Iran last week attacked ships transiting a designated corridor in the strait. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that President Donald Trump would not "sit by and allow these acts of terrorism to take place in the strait without ensuring Iran pays the consequences."
She added that the president was "always open to diplomacy at the very same time."
Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran's goal was to establish its authority over the strait, although it was reluctant to escalate in a way that would torpedo June's memorandum of understanding, which it still views as largely achieving its objectives.
Within Iran, the renewed bombing campaign has unnerved residents.
"Living with this fear that war could start again is very exhausting. You cannot live like this. Personally, I want diplomacy to prevail," Mahlegha, 46, a government employee, told Reuters from Tehran.
Iran keeps grip on Strait
Iran wants all ships using the Strait of Hormuz to travel through a channel close to its shores and intends to charge transit fees after a 60-day negotiation period established under last month's memorandum.
Washington has encouraged ships to use an alternative route along Oman's coast.
U.S. forces said their airstrikes have targeted military sites along the coast to weaken Iran's ability to control the strait. Iranian Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia said Thursday the effort would fail because Iran could strike the waterway from anywhere within its territory.
Trump has not ruled out the possibility of deploying ground forces, including to seize Kharg Island, home to Iran's main oil export terminal. He has also repeated threats to strike Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations.