WAR ON IRAN
4 min read
US, Iran trade strikes for sixth straight day as war escalates across region
Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated into a wider regional confrontation, with both sides trading strikes and raising fears of a prolonged conflict.
US, Iran trade strikes for sixth straight day as war escalates across region
A US warship launches a munition at an unknown location during what the US military says is its latest wave of strikes on Iran. / Reuters

The United States and Iran traded attacks on Friday, with Tehran targeting American assets across the Middle East in retaliation for US strikes in the biggest escalation since the two foes returned to outright war.

A month after they agreed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the conflict that began in February, the two sides have intensified fighting with strikes on targets around the region.

Iran on Friday said that US forces hit civilian infrastructure including an airport, a railway station and two bridges, with state media reporting at least eight killed and 20 wounded in overnight attacks.

It signalled an apparent expansion of American strikes with a focus on Iranian infrastructure, but there was no immediate comment from US officials.

Iran had previously threatened to retaliate against any infrastructure attacks, and on Friday launched strikes across the region in what appeared to be the largest exchange of fire since the MoU was signed last month.

"I officially declare that if the Americans strike the infrastructure of the Islamic republic, then all infrastructure across the region will become legitimate targets for Iran," Iranian state TV quoted a senior armed forces spokesperson as saying late on Thursday.

RelatedTRT World - Iran slams 'barbaric' US strike near children's cancer hospital

Iran's Revolutionary Guard later said they had attacked two US radar sites in the Gulf sultanate of Oman as well as Al-Tanf military base in Syria, which US forces said they withdrew from earlier this year.

Jordan's military said it shot down three Iranian missiles, reporting no casualties.

A battle over the strategic Strait of Hormuz has rekindled the war, with Tehran and Washington trading fire for six days running.

Iran's health ministry said on Friday that at least 38 people had been killed and more than 400 injured in the country since fighting resumed.

Tehran claims control over Hormuz, which is a key shipping route for the global oil and gas trade, but it was open for free passage before the war.

'Never back down'

Mediators have attempted to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.

China and Pakistan's foreign ministers called on Friday for the US and Iran to stop fighting and resume negotiations, according to a statement following a meeting in Shanghai.

As Iran stepped up its strikes, allies of the US in the Gulf reported further attacks on Friday.

Qatar and Kuwait said they were responding to missile attacks, with AFP journalists in the Qatari capital Doha hearing several blasts.

In Bahrain, Tehran targeted US helicopters and planes at an air base "in response to the enemy's hostile action in targeting urban infrastructure and innocent people", Iranian state media reported.

The tiny island Gulf nation urged citizens to take shelter and said a siren had been sounded.

As part of the wider escalation, the United States has also reimposed its blockade of Iran's ports.

A senior Iranian military spokesperson called for the US to withdraw from the region, saying "we will never back down over the Strait of Hormuz", state TV reported.

Attacks on ships in the waterway have continued, with the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency on Friday saying a tanker was struck by a projectile off the coast of Oman overnight.

RelatedTRT World - Iran still seeks nuclear deal after US strikes: White House

Threats to infrastructure

The latest attacks came a day after Iran's Revolutionary Guard said they struck a US airbase in Jordan with ballistic missiles in response to what they described as an American attack near a children's cancer hospital close to Ahvaz in Iran's southwest.

Hani, a 34-year-old teacher from Ahvaz, said the strikes were "very intense".

"My hands are shaking. There were at least 11, 12 explosions. My ears are exploding," he said.

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned that any deal to end the war "only has meaning when its clauses are valid and being implemented".

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump would hold Iran "accountable" for going back on its word, but said, "he is always open to diplomacy at the very same time".

Trump previously threatened to hit Iranian power plants and bridges unless Tehran returned to the negotiating table, telling Fox News: "Next week it gets really bad for them."

On Thursday, a spokesperson for Iran's military headquarters said that if the US followed through on its threats, "all infrastructure in the region" would be "crushed".

RelatedTRT World - US attacks on Iran infrastructure leave many dead; Tehran targets America's Gulf allies

SOURCE:TRT World & Agencies