US strikes continue on Iran... Tehran expands circle of retaliation

The United States escalated its strikes on Iran for the sixth consecutive night on Friday, while Tehran announced the killing of eight people in bombings that hit civilian infrastructure, coinciding with Gulf states being subjected to attacks, including a bombing of a power station, in a new expansion of the conflict.

The US Army said on platform X that it attacked 'dozens of Iranian military targets, including coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure and naval facilities' on the night from Thursday to Friday.

Iran announced that the electricity grid in the south suffered damage from the raids, and called on residents to conserve electricity. It also reported that bridges, a port, an airport, and a train station were bombed.

The official news agency IRNA announced the killing of eight people and the injury of 20 others in attacks that targeted these facilities overnight.

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Infrastructure

The commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Majid Mousavi, threatened on Friday that Tehran will not stop its attacks in the region until the United States stops its strikes on Iran's southern coast and the Strait of Hormuz, according to AFP.

Majid Mousavi said in a social media post: 'In our calculations, every inch of Iran's land is Iran, and Tehran and the south form one unit,' adding: 'Our effective and precise strikes launched from various parts of Iran against the enemy will continue until calm returns to the southern coast and the Strait of Hormuz.'

US President Donald Trump had threatened during the week to strike bridges and power plants in Iran if no agreement was reached.

In response, state television quoted a spokesman for the Iranian army as saying: 'If the Americans target infrastructure, then all infrastructure in the region will become legitimate targets for Iran.'

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk had affirmed during the conflict that targeting civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime.

Energy conservation

Kuwait announced on Friday that one of its power and water desalination plants was subjected to an Iranian attack, resulting in a fire and damage, calling on citizens to 'conserve electricity during this exceptional phase.'

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Temperatures on Friday reached 48°C in Kuwait and 45°C in southwestern Iran.

Earlier, the armed forces of Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar announced that they had repelled aerial attacks on Friday dawn.

In Qatar, a child was injured by shrapnel, while Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced that it had targeted the US Al Udeid base, claiming to have destroyed radar systems and military aircraft there.

The Iranian armed forces said they targeted US military sites in Kuwait with explosive drones, and bombed US aircraft in Jordan using ballistic missiles and drones, in response to the overnight US strikes.

Tehran had earlier said that US strikes since June 22 had killed 38 people and wounded more than 400.

Strait of Hormuz

The war in the Middle East erupted on February 28 last following Israeli-US strikes on Iran, and it continues to shake the global economy.

The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan on Friday called on the warring parties to resume negotiations within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June, which later collapsed.

Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had earlier said that 'the memorandum of understanding only acquires meaning when its provisions are in force and implemented.'

Islamabad also called for 'a swift return to normal conditions in the Strait of Hormuz,' which Iran re-closed at the end of last week. In response, the United States reimposed its blockade on Iranian ports.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Trump 'remains open to diplomacy at the same time.'

She added that the Iranians 'told the president that they still want to reach an agreement. We are talking to them, but the president will not allow them to fire on ships in the strait without consequences.'

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Ship hit

Navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war, has declined.

A ship was hit by an 'unidentified projectile' off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The attack on Thursday, 19 nautical miles from the Omani city of Khasab, resulted in 'minor structural damage,' according to the agency's statement, which noted that the crew was 'safe' and the vessel 'continued on its course to its next port of call.'

In contrast, oil prices remained relatively stable despite the developments, with Brent crude at around $85 a barrel on Friday.