US strikes continue on Iran... and Tehran expands the circle of response

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

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

Iran announced that the electricity network in the south was damaged by 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 targeting these facilities during the night.

0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90%

Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts

00:00

00:00

00:00

Infrastructure

And the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Majid Mousavi, threatened on Friday that Tehran will not stop its attacks in the region until the United States stops its strikes on the southern coast of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, according to what was reported by 'Agence France-Presse'.

Majid Mousavi said in a post on social media: 'In our calculations, every inch of Iranian land is Iran, so 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 hit bridges and power plants in Iran if no agreement is 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.

Rationing energy consumption

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 'rationalize electricity consumption during this exceptional stage.'

0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90%

Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts

00:00

00:00

00:00

The temperature on Friday reached 48 degrees Celsius in Kuwait and 45 degrees Celsius in southwestern Iran.

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

In Qatar, a child was injured by shrapnel, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced that they 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 US night-time bombing.

Tehran had earlier said that the US strikes since June 22 have left 38 dead and more than 400 wounded.

Strait of Hormuz

The war in the Middle East erupted on February 28 last following Israeli-American 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 that later collapsed.

The Speaker of the Consultative Assembly and chief Iranian negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, had earlier said that 'the memorandum of understanding only gains meaning when its terms are in effect and implemented'.

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

White House spokeswoman 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 shoot at ships in the strait without consequences'.

0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90%

Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts

00:00

00:00

00:00

Ship hit

Navigation traffic 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 British Maritime Security Agency (UKMTO).

The attack, which occurred on Thursday at a distance of 19 nautical miles from the Omani city of Khasab, resulted in 'minor structural damage', according to the agency's statement, which indicated that the crew is 'safe' and the ship 'continues its course to its next destination'.

In contrast, oil prices remained relatively stable despite developments, with Brent crude reaching about $85 per barrel on Friday.