Iran threatens to destroy regional infrastructure if US attacks Iranian facilities

Iran has warned it will retaliate if its infrastructure is attacked. US President Donald Trump has previously threatened that the US military could target Iranian bridges.

In a statement carried by Iranian state media, Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said that "the entire infrastructure of the region will be destroyed".

He also added that Iran would never allow the US to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz. "We will never allow the United States, as a foreign country and a country outside the region, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz. This is an inviolable red line for Iran."

The Guardian writes that Pakistan has called on the US and Iran to stop the violence and resume negotiations in accordance with the memorandum of understanding signed in June through Islamabad.

“While the implementation of the MoU is challenging, Pakistan continues to encourage all parties to cease violence and resume technical-level talks as per the MoU,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday.

The US has fired on an oil tanker off Kharg Island as part of its blockade of Iranian ports. The US said on Thursday morning that it had disabled the empty tanker in its fifth day of attacks after it ignored multiple warnings.

The US struck coastal defense installations and missile bases on Wednesday night, before striking cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran’s Greater Tunb Island.

The US also struck targets further north, with Iranian state media reporting attacks on the capital Tehran and reports of airstrikes across the city early on Thursday.