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

The United States intensified its strikes on Iran for the sixth consecutive night on Friday, while Tehran announced the death of eight people in bombing that targeted civilian infrastructure, coinciding with Gulf states being subjected to attacks, including a strike on a power plant, in a new expansion of the conflict zone.

The US military said via 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 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 that eight people were killed and 20 others were injured in attacks targeting these facilities overnight.

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Infrastructure

The commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, Mojid 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 Agence France-Presse.

Mojid Mousavi said in a social media post: 'In our calculations, every inch of Iranian land is Iran; Tehran and the south form one unit.' He added: '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 is reached.

In response, state TV quoted an Iranian military spokesman 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 Türk had affirmed during the conflict that targeting civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime.

Energy consumption rationalization

Kuwait announced on Friday that one of its power and water desalination plants was subjected to an Iranian attack, causing a fire and damage, urging citizens to 'rationalize electricity consumption in this exceptional phase.'

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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 had repelled aerial attacks at dawn on Friday.

In Qatar, a child was wounded by shrapnel, while Iran's IRGC 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 US overnight 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 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.

The head of the Shura Council and chief Iranian negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, had earlier said that 'the memorandum of understanding only gains meaning when its provisions are in effect and being implemented.'

Islamabad also called for 'a swift return to normalcy in the Strait of Hormuz,' which Iran closed again at the end of last week. In response, the United States reimposed 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 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 struck

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

A ship was struck 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 is 'safe' and the ship 'continues its course to its next port of call.'

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