The US launched its sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, with US Central Command saying the attacks were aimed at further degrading Iranian military capabilities while enforcing operations linked to its Strait of Hormuz blockade.
Here is the latest on the Iran war today:
- The U.S. concluded a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran early Friday local time, U.S. Central Command said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Trump was “not going to sit by and allow these acts of terrorism to take place in the strait without ensuring Iran pays consequences.”
- Iran continues targeting U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for American strikes, with state media claiming attacks targeting U.S. military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain early Thursday. There were no immediate reports of weapons hitting American bases.
- Iran’s military said Thursday it would target “all infrastructure in the region” if Mr. Trump follows through on his threats to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure, as the U.S. war with Iran continues intensifying.
U.S. completes its 6th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, CENTCOM says
The U.S. completed another round of strikes on Iran early Friday morning local time, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
This marked the sixth straight night of U.S. strikes on Iran since a fragile ceasefire between the two countries fell apart last week.
Friday’s strikes were conducted by fighter jets, aerial drones and warships that targeted “dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities,” CENTCOM said.
More than 50,000 U.S. military personnel are currently deployed across the Middle East, CENTCOM added.
Vance blasts claim that Iran sent him private messages accusing Kushner, Witkoff of “abusing” peace talks
Vice President JD Vance blasted a claim as “completely bogus” that alleged Iranian officials had sent Vance a private message during peace talks in Switzerland last month, warning him that President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff were “abusing” the negotiations and trying to manipulate markets.
“I never received a message like this,” Vance wrote on social media Thursday.
The allegation made by the X account “The Hormuz Letter” Wednesday claimed that Iranian officials wrote to Vance that Kushner and Witkoff were “more interested in exploiting insider knowledge to profit in financial markets than reaching a deal.”
Kushner and Witkoff have taken part in diplomacy talks with Iran on several occasions, going back to last year, and also brokered peace talks between Israel and the militant group Hamas during the war in Gaza. Vance led the peace talks that were held in Switzerland.
Vance wrote Thursday that “Jared and Steve are trusted members of the president’s team and very dear friends. No one has done more than the two of them to work towards peace and prosperity in the region. The idea they’re trading on insider information is absurd.
U.S. strikes hit airport, bridges and railway station in Iran, state media says
Deadly U.S. strikes early Friday morning local time hit an airport, a railway station and two bridges in Iran, killing three people, Iranian state media reported.
A U.S. strike on two bridges in the Hormozgan province killed three people and wounded nine, state TV wrote on Telegram, updating an earlier toll.
“Three explosions were heard around the airport and at least one American enemy projectile hit Iranshahr airport,” in the southeast, state television agency IRIB said on Telegram.
“A few minutes ago, the Bandar Abbas Railway Junction Station was targeted by the American enemy. According to this report, two Iranians were injured in the attack,” the Mehr news agency said on Telegram.
Another U.S. attack wounded one person in the western port city of Bushehr, Iranian state media posted on Telegram.
White House still talking with Iran, doesn’t answer if talks are at standstill
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would not answer whether President Trump believes the talks with Iran are at a standstill, or even dead, though she did say the administration is still holding peace talks.
“Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and express that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows on behalf of our United States military.”
Leavitt emphasized the strikes that have occurred every day this week are a direct result of Iran breaking the agreement signed in mid-June.
“The reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because Iran violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them,” Leavitt said. “Specifically, in the memorandum of understanding that they signed, they were not to fire on commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz and unfortunately they have made the tragic decision, for them, to do that.”
“President Trump is not going to sit by and allow these acts of terrorism to take place in the strait without ensuring Iran pays consequences for that. And that’s what we are witnessing now.”
CBS
