Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Nearly Isolated by US Strikes

The port city of Bandar Abbas, one of the most important trade hubs in southern Iran, has reportedly been almost completely isolated by United States bombing. RIA Novosti, citing a report by The Telegraph, reported on Sunday that the US military has launched intensive strikes against the southern Iranian city over the past week. As a result of the bombing, Bandar Abbas, which has a population of around 500,000 and serves as the conduit for roughly half of Iran’s trade, has reportedly been nearly cut off from other parts of the country. Highways and railway lines connecting the city to other regions were reportedly destroyed on Friday morning, according to the report. A former Pentagon official told The Telegraph that a number of current US officials are increasingly confident that isolating the port city from the rest of Iran will force Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On the evening of 18 June, Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum calling for a cessation of the conflict that began on 28 February. However, since 8 July, the US military has reportedly launched several more strikes against Iran. The Iranian military subsequently retaliated by attacking a number of US military bases in several Middle Eastern countries. Tehran has also accused Washington of violating the ceasefire agreement. On 9 July, US President Donald Trump stated that the ceasefire was no longer in effect.