US hits Iranian rail bridge as peace deal unravels

The United States struck a railway bridge in Iran's northeastern Golestan province with cruise missiles early Thursday, marking the first confirmed American attack on Iranian civilian infrastructure since the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending their war.

The strike hit the Aq Tekeh Khan Bridge in Aq Qala County, which sits on an international rail corridor connecting China to Iran via Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan as part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. Iranian state media reported the attack also disrupted passenger train services on the Tehran–Mashhad route just hours before the scheduled burial of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.mehrnews+3

Iran Condemns Attacks as 'War Crimes'

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as "gross war crimes" and violations of both the UN Charter and the June 18 memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington. The ministry said the attacks came as millions of Iranians participated in farewell ceremonies for Khamenei, who was killed alongside family members in a joint US-Israeli strike on February 28.presstv+1

The IRGC said the Golestan strike caused no casualties but warned that a "crushing response" would follow. In retaliation for the broader overnight campaign, the IRGC launched missiles and drones at US military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain, targeting the Arifjan, Ali al-Salem, Juffair, and Sheikh Isa bases.aljazeera+1

Escalation Threatens Peace Process

US Central Command said its forces struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets overnight, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile storage sites. The strikes followed Trump's declaration that an interim agreement to end the war was "over" after tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz.arabnews+1

Iran's Health Ministry reported at least 14 people killed and 78 injured across five provinces over the past two days of US strikes. The railway corridor targeted in Golestan saw at least 65 freight trains travel from China to Iran last year, with traffic reportedly tripling after the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in April.presstv

The burial of Khamenei, originally scheduled for March but postponed due to the war, was further delayed on Thursday after massive crowds disrupted logistics during earlier procession legs. The escalation has cast doubt on whether the ceasefire framework, already strained, can survive what Al Jazeera described as a second consecutive night of US bombardment.aljazeera+1