US targets Iranian bridges and roads in IRGC stronghold of Bandar Abbas to choke off supply routes

The U.S. military began its sixth consecutive day of attacks aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities. The strikes began at 2 p.m. EDT, according to U.S. Central Command. 

They struck multiple bridges intended to cut off supply routes to a port city and naval base in the Strait of Hormuz, from which Iran has been attacking commercial ships, according to a senior U.S. official. 

Several attacks were reported on bridges in and around the port city of Bandar Abbas overnight Thursday, and Iran’s state broadcaster said that highways connecting Bandar Abbas to nearby provinces were declared closed, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has a naval base in Bandar Abbas, which is vital to Iran’s ability to project power in the waterway and throughout the Persian Gulf. Earlier in the week, the U.S. pounded it and attacked an Iranian submarine and ship facility there with sea drones.

This comes as the U.S. again imposes a naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas to block ships from coming or going. Centcom has released photos of Marines boarding and searching a commercial ship, reportedly for the first time. The U.S. has redirected three vessels and disabled another this week that didn’t comply with orders, according to The Journal.