DUBAI, July 13 — U.S. forces carried out a series of overnight strikes across Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, targeting at least eight locations within less than an hour, according to Iranian officials.
The reported attacks took place between 1:35 a.m. and 2:20 a.m. local time, hitting multiple cities across the province, Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera reported, citing Iranian authorities.
Valiollah Hayati, Khuzestan’s deputy governor for security and law enforcement affairs, told Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency that U.S. forces had struck at least eight sites across the province during the operation.
Iranian authorities said assessment teams were evaluating the extent of the damage, and no comprehensive estimate of casualties or infrastructure losses was immediately available.
Hayati denied reports that Ahvaz International Airport had been directly targeted, saying instead that two strikes occurred on the outskirts of the airport.
Earlier, he said a missile strike on an agricultural water pumping station in Mahshahr killed one person and wounded four others.
Regional Tensions Escalate
The latest strikes come amid rapidly escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran, raising concerns over broader instability across the Gulf region.
The confrontation has intensified following Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil passes. The disruption has driven global energy prices sharply higher and added to inflationary pressures worldwide.
Iran said it closed the strait after several vessels attempted to transit what it described as an “unauthorized route” despite receiving warnings to alter course.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until what it described as U.S. intervention in the region comes to an end.
Washington Yet to Respond
U.S. Central Command said military operations began at approximately 7:15 p.m. local time on Saturday, about an hour after the IRGC issued its latest statement. According to the command, the strikes were carried out under the direction of President Donald Trump.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the latest reported strikes in Khuzestan.
The latest developments mark another escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, increasing fears of a wider regional conflict with significant implications for global energy markets and international security.
