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12th Night of Strikes
The U.S. military carried out a 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Wednesday, with U.S. Central Command saying the attacks were designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.”
President Donald Trump warned earlier Wednesday that the U.S. would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, writing, “the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT.”
Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said his country would adopt an “eye for an eye” defense doctrine, posting that “Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.”
Iranian state media reported U.S. missiles struck locations late Wednesday near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran, and said two people were killed in a U.S. missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi boarder.
The U.S. and Iran also traded threats over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which AP said remains largely closed as both sides increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure.
Red Sea Front Widens
While the U.S. pressed its 12th straight night of strikes, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebel group claimed Wednesday it attacked two oil tankers in the Red Sea, following through on a threat that could snarl another key maritime chokepoint: the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The Guardian reported that the Houthis said they carried out a military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers, identified as ENCELA and LAYLIA, after the vessels violated the naval blockade imposed by the group on Monday.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said Wednesday it received reports that a tanker was hit by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, causing an onboard fire, and that no casualties were reported.
Kuwait’s military said Wednesday its air defenses were “confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression,” as Iranian state media reported explosions in multiple Iranian locations.
In parallel, diplomatic efforts in Pakistan were described as showing little public sign of progress, with NPR saying Iranian Interior Minister Eskander Momeni visited for talks potentially aimed at reviving a collapsed ceasefire.
Infrastructure Stakes Rise
The dispute over infrastructure escalated as Trump’s threats focused on bridges and power plants, while Iran warned it would respond in kind and target regional infrastructure and energy facilities.
“US military carries out strikes on Iran as both sides threaten civilian infrastructure US military carries out strikes on Iran as both sides threaten civilian infrastructure DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U”
The Guardian quoted Abbas Araghchi saying, “Our defence doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response,” after Trump’s bridge-or-power-plant pledge.
AP reported that Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and desalination plants that provide drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf countries, linking the conflict to civilian vulnerability beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
NPR said oil prices rose again Wednesday, at one point topping $94 per barrel for global benchmark crude, and that the average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. had crept further above $4 a gallon.
With the Strait of Hormuz described as effectively closed by Iran since the start of the war, the sources framed the next phase as a widening contest over maritime chokepoints, including the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandab, and over whether civilian infrastructure remains off-limits.
