US Launches Seventh Consecutive Night Strike on Iran
The United States Army has launched its seventh consecutive night-time attack on Iranian territory, as a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader warned of a massive response should US strikes continue.
Quoting Al Jazeera, in a post on the platform X on Friday, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes began at 19:00 GMT (22:30 Iran time) and were “designed to continue degrading Iran’s military capabilities at the direction of the Commander-in-Chief.”
CENTCOM added that the operation employed “fighter aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and warships” to strike Iranian “surveillance locations, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons depots, and maritime capabilities”. The targeted locations included Jask, Sirik, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Ahvaz and Yazd.
The state news agency IRNA reported five explosions heard in the early hours of Saturday in the Yazd area of central Iran. Iranian state television also reported three explosions heard in the southern city of Sirik, while the Mehr news agency said blasts were heard “in several southern provinces”.
Iranian state media later reported at least three people killed and eight others wounded in the attack on Hormozgan Province, which borders the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the US State Department urged American citizens to reconsider travel to or through the Middle East as tensions in the region reached a peak. In a statement on X, the department said the security situation remained “complex with the potential for unexpected escalation”, advising citizens to review travel plans, monitor developments closely and confirm schedules with airlines before flying. Americans already in the region were reminded to “remain cautious”.
As the war intensifies, concerns are growing that the conflict could spread beyond control. Colonel Abbas Dahouk, a former senior military adviser on Middle East affairs at the US State Department, told Al Jazeera that any move by Iran and its ally the Houthis to disrupt shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait would signal “serious escalation”.
“If shipping is disrupted, it will certainly increase pressure not only in the region but also on international markets and the United States. The US is considering this, and there will likely be some form of retaliation,” Dahouk said.
Tehran, meanwhile, accused Washington of targeting civilian infrastructure and committing war crimes. Footage and images released by Iranian state media showed bridges and railway lines in the south of the country suffering severe damage.