The United States has expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran, hitting more bridges in an effort to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. The US airstrikes hit bridges overnight into Friday in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, killing at least seven people, according to Iranian state television.

Escalating Tensions

The US airstrikes are part of President Donald Trump’s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Iran to loosen its hold on the strait. Iran has launched new missile attacks against US-allied nations in the Middle East and warned that its attacks would escalate.

In Qatar, authorities warned the public to take shelter as a barrage of Iranian missiles targeted the nation. People heard explosions overhead as air defenses fired to intercept the missiles. Qatar is a key mediator with Pakistan in trying to reach an end to the Iran war, but talks have broken down over Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

US Response

Speaking in a primetime address to the American public, Trump insisted the war was going well. ‘We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly,’ Trump said.

Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, earlier threatened that Iran could launch widespread attacks on ‘all the infrastructure in the region’ if the US acted on Trump’s repeated warnings that America could hit Iranian bridges and power plants.

Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.