DUBAI — Iranian authorities said on Saturday that U.S. strikes on infrastructure in southern Iran had caused civilian casualties and damaged transport and maritime facilities, while senior military officials warned that further American attacks would prompt broader retaliation against U.S. interests and allied infrastructure across the region.
Iran's Health Ministry said the latest wave of strikes killed and wounded civilians in several provinces, although casualty figures have varied across official statements. State media reported that bridges, port facilities and sections of the rail network were among the sites hit, disrupting transport services in parts of the country's south.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks, describing them as violations of international law, while the armed forces' Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that if strikes on Iranian infrastructure continued, infrastructure serving the interests of the United States and its regional allies would become targets. Iranian officials also reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz remained a strategic "red line."
The U.S. military has said its operations are intended to degrade Iran's military capabilities and protect freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz after renewed attacks on commercial shipping. U.S. officials have rejected Iranian accusations that civilian infrastructure is being deliberately targeted, maintaining that American forces are striking military objectives.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched missile and drone attacks against U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and other locations in the Gulf in response to the American campaign. Some of those claims could not be independently verified, while several Gulf states reported air raid warnings or interceptions of incoming projectiles.
The latest exchange marked another escalation after a ceasefire announced last month collapsed, leading to successive days of strikes and counterstrikes. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted, contributing to higher oil prices and renewed concerns over regional stability and global energy supplies.
The United Nations has expressed concern over the growing toll on civilians and attacks affecting critical infrastructure, while diplomatic efforts to restore a halt in hostilities have so far failed. Neither Washington nor Tehran has announced renewed negotiations, and military operations were continuing as of Saturday, according to official statements from both sides.
