Iran says seven killed in latest US strikes, warns war ‘will spread’

Al Jazeera:

Tehran reported several deaths as the United States attacked Iran for a sixth consecutive night, with strikes targeting infrastructure in the country’s south.

Iranian media reported explosions and attacks in Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Iranshahr and Bandar-e Khamir.

US Central Command said the latest assaults began at 18:00 GMT on Thursday, describing the operation as an effort “to further degrade Iranian military capabilities”.

A US attack on the Bandar-e Khamir bridge in the Hormozgan province killed at least seven people and injured nine, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

The strikes, which come days after US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iranian infrastructure, are the latest sign of peril for an interim US-Iran deal the two countries’ leaders signed last month. Both sides have since accused the other of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU) amid a week of spiralling hostilities.

The US military also said forces under Central Command had redirected three commercial vessels attempting to bypass its blockade of Iran in the Gulf of Oman, disabling one vessel that failed to comply and boarding another.

Al Jazeera’s Aksel Zaimovic, reporting from Doha, Qatar, said that Gulf states are strengthening their air defences and military preparedness around crucial infrastructure “in this time of uncertainty”.

Countries including Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain have been targeted recently.

Doha said it had intercepted an Iranian strike on Friday, and that a child suffered a shrapnel injury.