US Strikes Destroy Roads, Bridges in Southern Iran, Sparking Speculation of Ground Invasion

The US has carried out airstrikes in southern Iran for a seventh night in a row, destroying key bridges, tunnels and rail links. The attacks have cut off key transport routes to the Strait of Hormuz coast, and speculation is growing in both Washington and Tehran about a possible ground operation, Iran International reports.

The attacks have caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure in Hormozgan province. The provincial governor’s office said six bridges had been hit in Khamir county alone as of Friday, cutting off road links between Bandar Abbas and Lari.

Officials have been adding to the list of new casualties, including reports of damage to the Shahid Mirzaei road tunnel and the Roudkhaneh Shouri bridge. The attacks have also hit utilities: Iranian media reported that missile strikes hit power plants and desalination pumps in the coastal city of Jask, leaving an estimated 10,000 people in 20 villages without water.

The impact of the attacks has been particularly felt in Bandar Abbas, the provincial capital and Iran’s main trade gateway. Sources say life in the city has come to a near standstill due to the naval blockade and the destruction of the road network. The country’s largest container port, Shahid Rajaee, has been reduced to a minimum, with half of the port’s staff recently laid off, and more than 4,000 containers stuck in the port’s grounds.

The Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of the world’s oil, has been closed to Iranian exports. The Revolutionary Guards have said that not a drop of oil or gas will leave the region until the US attacks end.

Ground Campaign Talks

US President Donald Trump has made no secret of the targets of his attacks. In an interview with Fox News, he said the United States would destroy Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran did not return to the negotiating table. When asked about sending ground troops, the president said he would not rule it out. However, Vice President J.D. Vance has said the US has no intention of sending ground troops to Iran, leaving the administration’s position unclear.

Some influential figures in Tehran interpret the situation similarly. Hard-line politician Amir-Hossein Sabeti wrote on social media that destroying transportation links is likely a prelude to a ground attack because it would hinder the movement of Iranian forces. At the same time, tensions are growing within the Iranian regime over who is responsible for the collapse of the ceasefire.

International Response and Economic Impact

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about attacks on civilian infrastructure, both in Iran and in the wider Gulf region. The 1949 Geneva Convention prohibits attacks on objects essential to the civilian population, and US legal experts have warned that such strikes could amount to war crimes.

The conflict sent oil prices up more than 4% on Friday, hitting their highest level in a month and marking a third straight week of gains, adding to pressure on the Trump administration ahead of November’s congressional elections.

Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the concentration of attacks on Iran’s southern coast suggests the US is moving beyond retaliatory strikes and is now targeting infrastructure that could allow Tehran to rebuild its military capabilities and resume operations around the Strait of Hormuz.