US bombs rail link to Mashhad, where Khamenei is to be buried; Tehran Says ‘Inability to Understand Iran’s Loyalty’ | Today’s news
Iran said the US strikes hit railway bridges leading to the holy city of Mashhad, where late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was to be buried, marking the first attacks on the country’s transport infrastructure in months as tensions escalated.
Train services to Iran’s holiest city were disrupted on Thursday after overnight strikes damaged key rail infrastructure near Mashhad, including a bridge about 55 km from the city.
The attacks came as thousands of mourners traveled to Mashhad for the long-delayed funeral of the supreme leader
Iran’s foreign ministry said the attacks showed Washington was “unable to understand the depth of Iranian patriotism and loyalty to the ideals of the revolution”.
Every time they hit us, we hit them 20: Trump
Meanwhile, US Central Command at X said it struck about 90 targets on Wednesday – after 80 the previous day – “to further reduce” the Islamic Republic’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Centcom said it targeted Iran’s air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile and drone storage facilities. Iranian media said US forces also hit railways, forcing Iran to suspend a line connecting the capital Tehran to Mashhad, where Khamenei is to be buried later on Thursday.
“Every time they hit us, we hit 20,” US President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
“I don’t know. We would win it very quickly. We have many ways we could win,” he added when asked if the US and Iran were returning to all-out war.
Iran responded by targeting US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.
If you strike, you will strike back: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to expand its attacks, according to Press TV. Earlier, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a warning that “the US has still not learned that bullying and breaking its commitments will no longer come without a cost.”
“Let me be clear: If you strike, you will strike back,” he said in a post on X.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discussed the military escalation in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry. Attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz erode trust and damage regional security efforts, he said.
The attacks came about three weeks after the US and Iran signed an interim peace deal that triggered a 60-day negotiation period to resolve remaining issues in the conflict. Talks are on hold while Iran holds Khamenei’s weekly mass funeral.
