US strikes railroad bridge in northeast Iran, widening offensive beyond ceasefire lines

Even after the United States and Iran signed an end-of-war memorandum of understanding, clashes around the Strait of Hormuz have continued — and the US has now struck a railroad bridge in northeastern Iran. The target is a key overland trade corridor linking China and Russia, and tensions have surged again.

Reuters reported Thursday (local time), citing local media, that a railroad bridge in northeastern Iran had sustained damage in an airstrike.

CNN, citing Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, reported that a railroad bridge on the outskirts of Aqqala in Golestan Province in northeastern Iran was struck by US forces.

Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency said the "Aq Takeh Khan" railroad targeted in the US airstrike is a critical trade corridor connecting Iran with its strategic partners China and Russia.

The route, which passes through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, has long served as a vital overland link to China. Its strategic importance grew further this year after the US blockaded Iran's major ports.

Since late 2025, Russia has also been actively using the line to transport cargo into Iran, Fars added.

After Iran repeatedly attacked merchant vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz — claiming the ships had strayed from designated routes — the US launched retaliatory strikes over two days beginning Tuesday, hitting multiple Iranian positions in the south along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

According to Fars, multiple powerful explosions were heard Wednesday in Bandar Abbas, a port city in south-central Iran, and in Sirik, a port city near the eastern mouth of the strait. The port city of Chabahar on Iran's southeastern coast along the Gulf of Oman also sustained damage.