US widens Iran strikes from Hormuz coast to bridges and inland bases

The US has widened its renewed strikes in Iran from coastal targets to bridges, communications links and inland military sites. The shift points to a broader campaign around the Strait of Hormuz even as Tehran keeps attacking shipping and Gulf bases.The United States has widened its attacks on Iran over the past two weeks, moving beyond strikes on naval and coastal targets to hit bridges, communications links and sites deeper inside the country. The expanded campaign began after a brief ceasefire in June collapsed when fighting broke out over control of the Strait of Hormuz, pushing the two countries back towards a wider war in the Middle East.Even with its growing scope, the current US campaign remains less intense than the opening phase of the war that began on February 28, when the US and Israel struck hundreds of military targets in the first 100 hours and killed top Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's Health Ministry says 3,434 people have been killed since the war began, including 55 in the latest escalation. The US says its recent attacks are aimed at reducing Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the strait, but Iran has continued its attacks on vessels there and on Gulf countries hosting US bases, killing at least four American soldiers and damaging critical infrastructure. Israel has not been targeted in this latest round and has not joined the US attacks.In the first days of the renewed fighting, the US focus was on Iran's coast. After Iran began attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz following the interim ceasefire deal, the two sides exchanged attacks, and by July 12 the US had stepped up its bombing campaign. A day later, President Donald Trump reimposed a US blockade on Iranian ports. The US military said it struck dozens of targets in two days, including air defence systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone factories and launchers, and small boats. It used precision munitions, naval vessels and, for the first time, one-way attack sea drones.Those strikes were concentrated in the coastal provinces of Khuzestan, Bushehr and Hormozgan. Bandar Abbas, a key port city on the strait with major naval and trade infrastructure, was hit heavily in the opening phase. Strikes also hit the Gulf islands of Qeshm, Abu Musa and Kish. Further east, naval and military bases in Sistan and Baluchistan province on the Gulf of Oman were also targeted. The attacks then widened to roads, bridges and communications infrastructure. State television images showed that at least six bridges and a tunnel around Bandar Abbas were damaged over two days, in what appeared to be an effort to cut off Revolutionary Guard bases there from the rest of the country. Another strike hit a railway junction west of the port city, while residents posted images of traffic jams on nearby roads. Other strikes in Bandar Abbas hit the offices of the radio and communications regulatory authority, and a maritime communications tower in one of the city's ports was struck for three days before being totally destroyed on July 17. Another communications tower about 120 kilometres down the coast was also hit.There were also temporary disruptions to communications between the mainland and the islands of Kharg and Qeshm, though Iranian authorities later said the links had been restored by the 10th day of the campaign. A fishmeal production factory in Qeshm was hit, and parts of Khuzestan reported power cuts after strikes there. Other civilian infrastructure was also affected. Local officials said one person was killed in a strike on an agricultural water pumping station in Khuzestan. Iranian officials said a July 18 strike on a water desalination plant in Jask destroyed pumping stations and affected water supplies for 10,000 nearby residents. That attack came after an Iranian strike on US bases in Jordan in which at least three soldiers were killed and others were injured. State media also reported that a US strike on a border crossing with Iraq, where hundreds of pilgrims had gathered, killed two people. The American military has said it is hitting "logistics infrastructure". Last week, Trump warned that for every Iranian attack on the strait, a power plant or bridge would be hit. Iranian media, meanwhile, said roads and tunnels damaged in the attacks were under repair or that alternative routes had been arranged to keep the south connected with the rest of the country.By the third day of the renewed conflict, US strikes had moved further into Iran's interior. Targets included Revolutionary Guard and other military bases believed to be linked to attacks on American bases in the Gulf, as well as reported missile production units, military installations and airports used by the Guard. In the far south-east, a strike on a military barracks in Iranshahr killed seven soldiers and wounded 12 others, according to Iranian officials. The Iranian military had recently claimed drone attacks on American bases in the region, including one in Jordan on July 15, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War and the Critical Threats Project. At least two strikes also hit a Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force installation in Khuzestan province, which was also believed to have been involved in attacks on US bases.So far, the Tehran area has been hit only twice in this round, unlike the first phase of the war when the capital came under hundreds of strikes, mainly by Israel. A strike on July 19 hit the Khojir military complex near Tehran, one of Iran's main missile factories, and a missile site outside the capital was later struck. Overall, the renewed US campaign has expanded from Iran's coast to its transport, communications and military infrastructure, while Tehran has continued attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz despite the mounting pressure.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 25, 2026 02:08 IST