WANA (Jul 18) – The United States carried out a seventh consecutive night of airstrikes on parts of Iran, with attacks reported from late Friday into early Saturday across the provinces of Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Bushehr, Yazd and Fars.

 

Hormozgan Province experienced the heaviest bombardment, where local authorities reported three people killed and eight others injured. At the same time, Iranian officials announced a series of retaliatory military operations against U.S. assets in the region.

 

According to official reports, the first attacks began around 11:15 p.m. local time in Sirik County, Hormozgan Province, where residents reported hearing multiple explosions in Sirik and the nearby Karpan area.

 

At 12:45 a.m., the deputy governor for security affairs in Khuzestan confirmed that missile strikes had targeted areas on the outskirts of Ahvaz. Four minutes later, residents in southern Lar County, Fars Province, also reported hearing several explosions.

 

At 1:12 a.m., Iran announced that its air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the skies of Bushehr.

 

The main wave of attacks began at 1:15 a.m., when multiple explosions were heard in eastern Bandar Abbas. Five minutes later, Hormozgan Governor’s Office confirmed that a location in Bandar Abbas had been struck and said assessments of the damage were underway.

 

At 1:26 a.m., officials reported that a military, non-residential site outside the city of Yazd had been hit by five projectiles. One minute later, Hormozgan authorities announced a missile strike on Larak Island.

 

Around 1:30 a.m., residents of Qeshm Island reported hearing several explosions in the southern part of the island.

 

At 1:55 a.m., Hormozgan officials stated that Shahid Mirzaei Tunnel, the Shour River Bridge on the Bandar Abbas–Sirjan highway and several transportation routes had been targeted. Authorities subsequently closed the Shahid Mirzaei Tunnel in both directions until further notice.

 

At 2:28 a.m., explosions were reported in Omidiyeh, Khuzestan Province. Five minutes later, the governor of Bushehr confirmed that an area near the town of Choghadak had also come under attack.

 

At 2:35 a.m., the deputy governor of Hormozgan announced that three people had been killed and eight others injured in the strikes carried out across the province.

 

The attacks on Hormozgan continued throughout the early morning. At 3:50 a.m., another location near Bandar Abbas was struck, followed by a missile attack near Jask at 4:44 a.m. Finally, at 5:00 a.m., authorities confirmed that a location on Hormuz Island had also been targeted.

 

In addition to military targets, U.S. strikes also hit electrical infrastructure and desalination pumps serving the dock at Bonji village in Hormozgan Province.

 

Hormozgan officials further reported damage to four transportation infrastructure sites, including Shahid Mirzaei Tunnel, the Shour River Bridge on the Bandar Abbas–Sirjan route and two bridges on the Minab–Rudan highway. Emergency response teams, road maintenance crews and other government agencies were deployed to assess the damage, secure affected areas, reopen roads and establish alternative routes. Residents were urged to avoid unnecessary travel through damaged areas and to rely solely on official sources for updates.

 

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities announced a series of retaliatory operations. According to official statements, Iranian forces intercepted and stopped four vessels described as “violating ships” in the Strait of Hormuz during a combined drone and missile operation.

 

Officials also stated that, during the seventeenth wave of Operation Nasr 2, facilities used to deploy U.S. unmanned surface vessels in Bahrain were targeted and a significant number of the platforms were destroyed.

 

Iranian authorities further claimed that a key artificial intelligence center in Bahrain, which they said had been used to support U.S. military targeting operations, was struck by multiple ballistic missiles and dozens of drones and was completely destroyed.

 

Separately, the Iranian Army’s Public Relations Office announced that, during the fourteenth phase of Operation Saegheh, Iranian attack drones targeted a U.S. ammunition depot at Camp Al-Adiri, command buildings and ammunition storage facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base, as well as several bridges in Kuwait. The statement also said that fuel storage facilities at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan were targeted in additional drone strikes.

 

According to the latest reports, military operations by both sides remain ongoing, while officials say further details regarding the extent of the damage and the overall situation will be released following field assessments.