US, Iran Escalate Strikes On Civilian Infrastructure

The United States carried out a 12th consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran on Thursday as both countries intensified attacks and exchanged fresh threats targeting civilian infrastructure, further escalating their widening conflict.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were intended to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters," as Washington seeks to restore the free flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier on Thursday, President Donald Trump warned that the United States would strike an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran attacked a vessel in the strategic waterway.

"From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by missile, rocket, drone or any other weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant," Trump wrote on social media.

The latest strikes came as diplomatic efforts showed little sign of progress, with both sides maintaining hardline positions over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor that remains largely closed.

The conflict has heightened fears of further disruption to global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and increased uncertainty in international markets.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would respond with an "eye for an eye" approach.

"Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response," he wrote on X.

Iranian state media reported that US missiles struck areas near the western cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk late Wednesday. It also reported that two people were killed in a US missile strike in the border town of Shalamcheh near Iraq early Thursday.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's military said its air defence systems intercepted hostile drones following what it described as Iranian attacks.

Iran has also targeted energy facilities and desalination plants supplying drinking water in neighbouring Gulf states. Under international humanitarian law, attacks on civilian infrastructure are generally prohibited unless those facilities are being used for military purposes.

Economic impact deepens

The continued disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a route that normally carries about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and gas — has intensified concerns over global energy security.

Adding to those fears, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have threatened to target Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, putting another critical maritime trade route at risk.

President Trump travelled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday to receive the remains of four US service members. A day earlier, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate hearing that the conflict had already cost the United States an estimated $37.5 billion.

Brent crude oil climbed above $93 per barrel, up from below $72 earlier this month before the conflict escalated, while gasoline prices have continued to rise.

Iran maintains that it has the right to regulate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and potentially impose transit fees. It has also targeted vessels using a shipping lane monitored by US forces and intended to remain outside Tehran's control.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said the strait would not return to pre-war conditions.

"We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to pre-war conditions," he wrote on social media.

Diplomatic efforts remain stalled

Before the latest round of strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, which has been trying to mediate between the two sides, in an effort to revive diplomatic talks.

However, there was no indication of any breakthrough.

Iranian Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Zeinivand said diplomatic contacts were continuing and messages were still being exchanged, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

An Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Gulf states were becoming increasingly pessimistic about prospects for de-escalation despite ongoing mediation efforts by Pakistan and Turkey.

Speaking at a regional summit in the Philippines, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that allowing any country to control an international waterway, impose tolls and attack ships would set a dangerous global precedent.

Rubio said Washington remained open to negotiations but believed Tehran was not serious about talks at this stage, leaving the United States focused on safeguarding international shipping.

Following Iran's attacks, the United States also reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump hints at strike on nuclear facility

Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said the United States had "no interest in meeting" Iran for talks at present.

He also suggested that Washington could target Pickaxe Mountain, an underground Iranian nuclear facility under construction near the Natanz enrichment site.

While the nearby Natanz nuclear complex was bombed during the 2025 Iran-Israel war, Pickaxe Mountain has remained untouched as Iran continues construction.

Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful, despite resuming uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade levels after Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement during his first term.