Middle East — 2026-07-17

US Strikes Iran for Sixth Consecutive Night, Hitting Hormozgan Bridges as Trump Threatens Power Plants

BLUFUS strikes on Iranian power-generation infrastructure are likely before July 24, crossing Tehran's stated threshold for retaliatory attacks against all regional infrastructure.

US Central Command concluded a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran at dawn Friday, hitting dozens of targets including bridges in Bandar Khamir in southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people according to Iranian state television 12. CENTCOM said an earlier Wednesday wave struck Bandar Abbas naval facilities, coastal defense sites on Greater Tunb island, and areas around Tehran and Semnan province, home to Iran's ballistic missile and space programs 23. Iran's Health Ministry reported at least 35 killed and more than 300 injured since fighting resumed last week, with new casualties reported in Friday's strikes 13. Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US-linked facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan and fired a missile barrage at Qatar, wounding a child there according to Qatar's Interior Ministry, while Iranian military spokesman Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned Iran would strike "all the infrastructure in the region" if US attacks on bridges and power plants continued 23. President Trump said in a prime-time address that "we are likewise winning big in Iran" 2.

Analysis
US strikes on Iranian power-generation infrastructure are likely before July 24, with bridges in Bandar Khamir now hit for the first time after weeks of rhetorical threats and power plants the sole named target set not yet struck. High confidence rests on Trump's repeated public threats, CENTCOM's demonstrated willingness to hit infrastructure once off-limits, and Zolfaghari's warning that Iran will strike "all the infrastructure in the region" if power stations follow, though AP and CBC's near-identical accounts point to shared wire reporting rather than fully independent corroboration. The bridge strikes may instead function as coercive signaling meant to force Iran off its Strait of Hormuz blockade rather than open a broader infrastructure campaign. A power-plant strike would confirm sustained escalation, pushing Gulf states hosting US forces to harden air defenses and shippers to extend Hormuz rerouting; its absence by July 24 would let energy markets price a narrower, contained conflict.

3 sources

U.S. strikes bridges in Iran, expanding its airstrike campaign over the Strait of Hormuz - Associated Press
U.S. airstrikes hit Iranian bridges, following Trump's threats to strike infrastructure - CBC News
US launches new attacks on Iran as Tehran targets Gulf sites - Al Jazeera