U.S. Continues Intensive Military Strikes on Iran as Regional Escalation Spreads
The U.S. military has completed its sixth consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, while Iranian forces have expanded attacks on neighboring countries including Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan as tensions escalate.
Latest Strikes
The U.S. military completed its latest wave of airstrikes against Iran at 9:40 p.m. ET Thursday, US Central Command said. It was the sixth consecutive night of strikes by US forces. While US bombing has largely focused on southern Iran, some recent strikes have reached deep inside the country.
Regional Expansion
Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan have come under Iranian fire as the conflict shows no sign of de-escalating. The Iranian military also claimed it targeted US military forces in Bahrain and Syria. Several bridges in southern Iran's Hormozgan province were hit in the latest round of US strikes, the governor's office said, with many of the bridges that were targeted on routes connected to the city of Bandar Abbas, a coastal city on the Strait of Hormuz which is home to a Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base.
Expert Warnings
A regional expert has warned that the US and Iran risk entering a "forever war" as they continue to trade strikes after ceasefire talks were derailed. "It took about two months to negotiate a page and a half of the memorandum of understanding … It took only three weeks for it to unravel," said Ali Vaez, a senior adviser and the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.
Casualties
At least seven people were killed and nine were wounded, reported multiple state media outlets. Iran's government says recent U.S. strikes have killed more than 30 civilians, while wounding more than 260 people.