US Strikes Hit Bridges, Port Tower in Southern Iran; Marines Board Tanker

US airstrikes hit five bridges and a tower at a key port in southern Iran on Thursday, killing at least seven people and injuring others, according to Iranian state media reports carried by the AP, the Guardian and Al Jazeera. Separately, US Marines boarded the tanker M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman as part of the renewed blockade of Iranian ports, the Guardian reported.

What we know

Iran’s state broadcaster said two bridges in the city of Bandar Khamir were among those struck, and Middle East Monitor reported at least one person killed and eight injured in that city alone. Middle East Eye put the overall death toll from the bridge strikes at seven civilians and reported fresh blasts in Chabahar. The Guardian’s live blog said Iranian outlets also reported hits on Iranshahr airport and a southern rail station, and cited Iran’s health ministry giving a running toll of 38 people killed in Iran in recent US strikes.

US Central Command said it “completed” the latest wave of strikes on Iranian military targets, marking a sixth consecutive night of American attacks, Reuters reported. CENTCOM said it is “holding Iran accountable” and that more than 50,000 US service members in the Middle East “remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

The boarding of the M/T Wen Yao is the second reported US boarding action in the Gulf of Oman during the campaign and follows Wednesday’s Hellfire strike on an unladen tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island. Iran launched fresh retaliatory attacks after the sixth night of US strikes, Reuters reported, with Al Jazeera reporting Iranian fire hit multiple Gulf countries and footage from Kuwait showed debris from intercepted Iranian projectiles sparking a fire near the Kuwait-Iraq border.

What we don’t know

CENTCOM has not publicly acknowledged or described the bridge and port strikes, and the specific munitions, aircraft and time-on-target for the infrastructure hits have not been confirmed by US officials. Casualty figures come from Iranian state media and the Iranian health ministry and have not been independently verified. The cargo, ownership and flag of the M/T Wen Yao, and the disposition of the vessel after boarding, have not yet been confirmed by CENTCOM. This is a developing story.

Context

The bridge and port strikes mark a clear widening of the US target set. Earlier waves in the campaign hit Iranian military installations, air defenses, radar sites and Revolutionary Guard positions; Thursday’s strikes are the first confirmed hits on transport infrastructure and are the first with a credible civilian death toll. Reporting earlier in the week noted President Trump was “mulling” strikes on Iranian bridges — a threshold now crossed. Coverage of the immediately preceding waves is in US Strikes Southern Iran Near Qeshm Island on Sixth Consecutive Night and US Strikes Expand Into Northern Iran and Hit Tehran for the First Time.

The Marines’ boarding of the Wen Yao continues a blockade posture that has combined kinetic action against tankers — including this week’s Hellfire strike on a tanker bound for Kharg Island — with visit-board-search-and-seizure operations first seen in May. Iran’s cross-Gulf retaliation Thursday follows the pattern set overnight on July 15–16, when Iranian strikes hit or were intercepted over US-hosted bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain.

What to watch

1. Whether CENTCOM issues an on-the-record statement claiming and describing the bridge and port strikes, and whether it names the port where the tower was collapsed.
2. Whether Iran’s response widens beyond intercepted projectiles into confirmed casualties on Gulf territory, which would sharply raise the odds of GCC states seeking a formal role in the exchange.
3. The disposition of the M/T Wen Yao and any cargo declared under sanctions — and whether more boardings follow in the next 24 hours.