U.S. Bombardment of Iranian Infrastructure Escalates Amid Ongoing Conflict

Late Thursday and into Friday, U.S. forces conducted a series of airstrikes targeting bridges, railways, power facilities, and a surveillance tower at Chabahar Port in southern Iran. The attacks, authorized by President Donald Trump, resulted in the collapse of the tower and at least eight civilian deaths, according to the Associated Press. The strikes were described as part of a broader campaign aimed at cutting off Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main port, from road routes leading to Tehran.

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The bombardment follows the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran that began in late February. In the days preceding the latest attacks, President Trump publicly threatened to “knock out all of [Iran's] power plants” and bridges unless Tehran returned to negotiations. The campaign has intensified amid extreme summer heat, with U.S. officials citing nominal military use of the targeted structures.

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The Pentagon’s Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, posted a photo of the collapsing tower on social media, presenting the image as evidence of the operation’s success. The Associated Press noted that the bridge and railway strikes appeared designed to isolate Bandar Abbas. U.S. officials have framed the targets as militarily relevant despite their civilian functions.

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The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) condemned the attacks as a “civilian catastrophe,” emphasizing that bridges, ports, and power networks sustain civilian life even when used for military purposes. NIAC’s policy director, Ryan Costello, called Hegseth’s post “disgusting online revelry in the bombardment of Iran and its infrastructure.” Former Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth warned that deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime and could expose military commanders to prosecution.

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• “disgusting online revelry in the bombardment of Iran and its infrastructure.” — Ryan Costello, Policy Director, NIAC

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• “there may be some nominal military use of the bridges,” — Kenneth Roth, Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch

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• “Trump doesn't care, but military commanders, who could face prosecution, should,” — Kenneth Roth, Former Executive Director, Human Rights Watch

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• “The highway and railway bridge strikes appeared aimed at cutting off Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main port, from roads leading into the Islamic Republic’s central region onward to Tehran, the capital,” — Associated Press

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• “The evidence compiled in this report, independently corroborated across UN agencies, human rights organizations, and satellite analysis, points to a pattern of harm to civilians, homes, schools, and medical infrastructure that warrants urgent international attention," NIAC said.” — NIAC

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Estimates cited by NIAC suggest civilian deaths could exceed 2,000, including hundreds of children, with millions displaced and over 125,000 residential units damaged or destroyed. The report calls for urgent international scrutiny of the ongoing bombardment.

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