TEHRAN, Iran, July 18 (ANI): At least 38 people were killed and more than 400 others injured in U.S. strikes across several Iranian provinces, Iran’s Health Ministry said Friday, stating that the attacks targeted civilian infrastructure, including bridges, power facilities, and the maritime control tower at Chabahar’s Shahid Kalantari Port.
According to Iranian state media Press TV, the strikes, carried out from late Thursday into early Friday, affected areas in the Hormozgan, Bushehr, Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan, and Lorestan provinces.
Iran’s Health Ministry said the casualties included three women and one person under the age of 18, while 47 injured people remain hospitalized.
The maritime control tower at Shahid Kalantari Port in Chabahar was also destroyed in the strikes. However, the port’s berths, cargo-handling facilities, and other operational infrastructure remained intact, with no casualties reported at the site, according to Press TV.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday (local time) confirmed that it had “successfully destroyed” the surveillance tower at Iran’s Shahid Kalantari Port in Chabahar, saying the facility was part of a maritime surveillance network used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to monitor commercial shipping in the Gulf of Oman, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian news agency IRNA said technical and operational teams began assessing the damage, securing the area, and reviewing steps to resume port activities. Cargo loading and unloading operations are expected to restart after safety checks are completed, it added.
Meanwhile, authorities in Hormozgan province reported extensive damage after strikes hit several locations, including six bridges in Khamir County. The Hormozgan Governor’s Office said seven people were killed and nine others injured in the attacks.
Officials said the strikes disrupted transportation links connecting Bandar Abbas, Bandar Khamir, and Lar, while emergency teams worked to restore traffic through alternative routes, Press TV reported.
Iranian officials also reported casualties in Bandar Abbas, saying one person was killed and eight others injured after a strike hit a residential area. Separately, a railway branch station in the city was damaged, leaving two people injured, according to provincial authorities, Press TV reported.
In Bushehr province, Governor Mohammad Mozaffari said two strikes were reported within hours, injuring one person.
In Khuzestan province, Deputy Governor Valiollah Hayati said U.S. forces targeted areas around Ahvaz, with authorities assessing the extent of the damage. Iranian officials had earlier alleged that strikes near Ahvaz forced the temporary evacuation of Shahid Baghaei Hospital, which specializes in cancer treatment.
In western Iran’s Lorestan province, Deputy Governor Saeed Pourali said a strike was reported in the Veysian district of Chegeni County.
The developments came after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out multiple rounds of strikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities, including coastal surveillance systems, air defense sites, logistics infrastructure, and maritime assets.
Iranian authorities have accused the United States of targeting civilian infrastructure, while Washington has said its operations are aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities and responding to threats against regional security.
Iran has also announced retaliatory strikes against U.S. military assets in the region, claiming attacks on American positions in Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, and Oman. (ANI)
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