Targeting Iran's Domestic Supply Lines, US Military Strikes Multiple Bridges Within Iran

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] According to a report by CNN on the 17th, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying that the U.S. military completed its latest round of large-scale strikes against Iran at 9:40 PM Eastern Time on the 16th.

The report stated that the operation lasted a total of 7 hours and 40 minutes. This marks the sixth consecutive night that the U.S. military has launched strikes against Iran. The statement noted that the U.S. military utilized fighter jets, drones, and warships to launch precision-guided munitions, hitting dozens of Iranian military targets, including coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime operational facilities. The U.S. Central Command did not provide further details regarding the number of targets struck but stated that the U.S. military is "holding Iran accountable for its recent attacks on commercial shipping."

However, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal on the 17th, a senior U.S. official revealed that the U.S. launched strikes on multiple bridges within Iran on the evening of the 16th, aimed at cutting off supply lines to the port city of Abbas and naval base in the Strait of Hormuz. Abbas port, located in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, is home to a naval base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is crucial for Iran's control of the waterway and military power projection throughout the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian Tasnim News Agency confirmed on the 17th that the U.S. hostile attacks on multiple areas in Hormozgan province on the evening of the 16th and early morning of the 17th resulted in at least 8 deaths and 19 injuries, and damaged important infrastructure, including 6 bridges. Key transportation facilities in several locations, including Abbas port, Hamir port, and Qeshm Island, were attacked. The railway hub at Abbas port was also struck, and multiple explosions occurred near the village of Masan on Qeshm Island.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated on the 17th that in response to the U.S. military's attack on non-military targets in southern Iran the previous night, the Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles and drones in two phases, destroying several U.S. refueling aircraft and fighter jets.

According to the Iranian Mehr News Agency, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, Iravani, sent a letter to the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General on the 16th, stating that the U.S. acts of aggression and deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure are the latest examples of its war crimes. The U.S. military's hostile actions against civilian facilities and the public acknowledgment of such actions by officials of that country further prove that Washington's policies are the main source of instability in the region.

CNN reported that the director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, Vaez, warned that as ceasefire negotiations falter and both sides continue to launch attacks against each other, the U.S. and Iran face the risk of falling into "perpetual war." (Wang Yi)