US strikes on Iran widened early on July 18 from the Strait of Hormuz hotspot to multiple sites throughout central and southern Iran, including through the use of jet fighters, while Iran continued to pound US Gulf allies, as a fragile cease-fire further tattered.US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces “launched a round of strikes against Iran...for the seventh consecutive night. The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities at the Commander in Chief's direction.”Some six-and-a-half hours later, 5 a.m. Iran time, CENTCOM said the wave of attacks had been concluded.CENTCOM said it "hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities. US forces employed fighter aircraft, aerial drones, and warships in addition to other assets."The announcements came amid reports that traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz had dwindled to almost nothing amid multiple actions by US forces and missile launches by the Iranian side.
On July 18, Iranian state-run media reported multiple attacks by US forces -- including jet fighters -- along the Strait of Hormuz but also at locations away from the important waterway, including in Yazd in central Iran, the southwestern city of Ahvaz, and Khuzestan Province at the north end of the Persian Gulf.Iran media reported that “several transportation routes” in areas of Hormozgan Province -- which borders the Strait of Hormuz -- had been blocked by “enemy” attacks on major roads, at least two bridges, and a transport tunnel.A day earlier, Iranian state media said at least five bridges were struck in the south. Seven people were reported killed in attacks on bridges in the southern port of Bandar Khamir, where the train station was also hit. An airport was reported hit further east and away from the coast in Iranshahr, in a province bordering Pakistan.Reuters said video that it had verified showed rubble, broken railings, and a damaged vehicle on a smashed bridge in Bandar Khamir. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said three people were killed while crossing the bridge.CENTCOM did not specify the targets of its attacks and multiple claims by Iran could not be verified.Iran Threatens 'Full-Scale Offensive Operations'Meanwhile, Iranian Major General Mohsen Rezaei threatened that Tehran is ready to resume "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes against it continue for another two or three days.
