Iran Says US Strike Hit Key Rail Link Used for China, Russia Trade; 14 Killed, 78 Injured in Latest Retaliatory Strikes

TEHRAN, Jul 9: A US strike hit a strategic railway bridge in northern Iran used on trade routes linking the country with China and Russia, Iranian media reported on Thursday, as Tehran said fresh US retaliatory strikes over the past two days killed 14 people and wounded 78 others.

According to IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency, cruise missiles struck a railway bridge in Aqqala County in Golestan Province. The report described the bridge as a key part of the China–Turkmenistan–Iran rail corridor, adding that Russia has used the route to transport goods since last year and that Chinese rail traffic had tripled following the maritime blockade.

Separately, Iranian state media said US retaliatory strikes across five provinces over the past 48 hours killed 14 people and injured 78. Of the wounded, 47 remain hospitalized, while the others have been discharged after receiving treatment. Also, in Sirik, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, three people were killed, and 15 others were wounded, a provincial official said on Thursday. Sirik is a coastal city east of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned the latest attacks, accusing Washington of violating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending hostilities. The ministry said US forces struck three locations in Iran's southern coastal provinces and targeted two railway bridges on the route toward Mashhad in eastern Iran.

Tehran said the attacks violated the UN Charter and breached the first clause of the MoU with the United States. The ministry further accused Washington of using alleged incidents involving foreign vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as a pretext to justify what it described as continued failure to honor the agreement.