US strikes Iran for fifth straight day as Trump threatens power plants, bridges

The United States launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iranian military targets on Greater Tunb Island early Wednesday, while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed retaliatory attacks on US bases across three countries, marking a dramatic escalation as the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran disintegrates into open conflict across the Persian Gulf.

CENTCOM Targets Greater Tunb Island

US Central Command said it completed a 90-minute morning strike operation at 7:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, launching precision munitions against coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island, a strategic outpost Iran has controlled since 1971 in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are part of what CENTCOM described as ongoing efforts to "further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz".dvidshub+1

The operation followed a seven-hour assault the previous night in which US fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels struck dozens of military targets along Iran's southern coast. Iranian officials said the American strikes killed at least seven soldiers and wounded more than 260 people across the country. CENTCOM confirmed it hit targets in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Tunb, Bushehr, and other locations on July 14.aljazeera+3

Iran Launches Operation Nasr 2

In response, the IRGC announced multiple waves of Operation Nasr 2, targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Iran claimed to have struck the US Naval Support Activity base in Bahrain's Juffair district, a logistics hub at Kuwait's Mina Abdullah industrial area, and a US air base in Jordan with ballistic missiles. An Iranian Shahed-136 drone struck a warehouse in the Mina Abdullah area on July 14, according to multiple reports.middleeastmonitor+4

The IRGC declared the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed "until further notice" and threatened to shut "all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies".reuters+1

Trump Escalates Threats

President Trump warned in a Fox News interview on Tuesday that strikes would intensify unless Iran returns to negotiations. "Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges," Trump said. "We're going to knock out all their power plants. We're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate".thestar+1

The escalation follows the collapse of a ceasefire that had held since April, unraveling after Iran attacked commercial vessels in the strait earlier this month. Since July 7, CENTCOM has struck more than 300 Iranian military targets across multiple rounds of operations. Trump declared the ceasefire "over," while the IRGC vowed its retaliatory operations would continue.centcom+2