The U.S. military confirmed late Thursday evening that it had wrapped up its most recent wave of attacks on Iran, carried out under orders from President Donald Trump — the sixth night in a row that American forces have struck the country.
U.S. Central Command released a statement detailing the operation: “U.S. forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, launched precision munitions that hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities.”
Thursday’s strikes included hits on Qeshm Island and areas near Bandar Abbas — the location of Iran’s largest port and major navy and Revolutionary Guards installations — both situated along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media outlets reported additional U.S. strikes Thursday night on three bridges and a train station in the coastal city of Bandar Khamir, as well as a missile strike on Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm those reports independently.
Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at U.S. military bases in neighboring countries, including a recently expanded air base in Jordan. Iran claimed that base was used in a U.S. attack on an Iranian children’s cancer hospital on Wednesday night.
President Trump this week repeated his threats to target Iranian energy infrastructure and warned that bridges could be hit as early as next week. Those kinds of threats have drawn scrutiny from legal experts, who earlier this year said such attacks could potentially constitute war crimes under international law. The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit attacks on sites considered essential to civilian life.
Trump faced widespread international condemnation back in April after threatening to destroy Iran’s entire civilization, before eventually agreeing to a ceasefire with Tehran.
The current conflict traces back to February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Iran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host American military bases. Since then, U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
The ongoing war has also pushed oil prices higher and sent shockwaves through global financial markets.
