TEHRAN, Jul 17 : Iran today accused the US of targeting civilian infrastructure in its latest wave of air strikes, since the peace talks between the two countries collapsed.
According to Iranian state media and provincial authorities, several civilian sites, including bridges, a railway station and an airport, were hit during overnight attacks. The BBC confirmed that one bridge in Hormozgan province had been struck.
CENTCOM has not released a detailed list of targets but said the operation was intended to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities".
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to target Iranian bridges and power stations in an effort to force Tehran back to the negotiating table, leading to subsequent retaliation by Tehran where it conducted several attacks on Israel as well as US installations and allies in the Gulf.
The latest attacks marked the sixth consecutive night of US air strikes on Iranian territory.
Iranian state media and local officials said Iranshahr Airport in south-eastern Iran, a railway station and six bridges in Hormozgan province were among the sites hit on Thursday night.
Provincial authorities in Hormozgan said seven people were killed in the attacks.
Night-time footage has surfaced showing a damaged Gariveh Bridge with a ball of flames on top of it, while daylight images, similarly show a crumbled stretch of road with rubble around the broken bridge.
When asked about the reported strikes on civilian infrastructure, CENTCOM said it had nothing further to add beyond its earlier statement.
After Trump first suggested in April that the US could target civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power stations, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker T rk warned that "deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime".
In response to the latest US strikes, Iran's IRGC paramilitary said it had targeted US maritime surveillance radar installations in Oman, as well as sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The IRGC also claimed to have struck a US special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria. Neither Washington nor Damascus immediately commented on the claim.
As per Kuwaiti authorities, Iranian attacks had struck power generation and water desalination facilities.
As the military exchanges continued, the Strait of Hormuz - the critical waterway off Iran's southern coast - remained effectively closed.
Around one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies traditionally passed through the Strait, raising concerns about global energy security.
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol warned on Thursday that prolonged disruption could have serious consequences.
"We should be worried, and I am worried, if the situation does not improve in the next few weeks," he said.
Separately, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said today that a tanker sailing near Khasab, Oman, had been struck by an unidentified projectile on Thursday. All crew members were reported safe.
(UNI)
