Why is the US attacking southern Iran’s civilian infrastructure?

The United States has escalated its military operations against Iran, targeting civilian infrastructure in southern Iran for the sixth consecutive night. According to Iranian officials, the attacks have struck a railway station and residential neighborhoods, alongside bridges, water facilities, food silos, and other critical infrastructure. These strikes follow comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested Washington might eventually target Iran's energy sector, stating he would "save the energy targets for last." Tensions have risen significantly, with Iran's military claiming to have struck U.S. aircraft at a military base in Bahrain. Meanwhile, Kuwait has responded to missile and drone attacks, and air defense systems have been activated across several Middle Eastern nations including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. This renewed conflict follows a month-long ceasefire agreement signed between Washington and Tehran, intended to provide a framework for negotiations to end the ongoing war that began on February 28 with Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. The current escalation coincides with heightened confrontations over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has warned it will block maritime traffic through the strategic waterway following Oman's announcement of a new shipping transit corridor. In response, the U.S. has reinstated a naval blockade around Iranian ports and coastal areas. As these attacks increasingly focus on civilian infrastructure, concerns are growing regarding the U.S.'s strategic goals, whether they aim to degrade Iran's military capabilities, force negotiations, disrupt essential transport networks, or exert economic and political pressure by damaging infrastructure crucial to daily life. Southern Iran's coastline has faced repeated attacks, with U.S. strikes hitting infrastructure across Hormozgan province and neighboring regions. Explosions have been reported in multiple locations such as Ahvaz, Qeshm, Bushehr, Dashti, Bostan, Sirik, and Bandar-e Lengeh. Iranian officials claim the damage inflicted in these attacks exceeds that of previous rounds. Bandar Abbas, a major naval hub located near the Strait of Hormuz, has been particularly affected. According to Iranian media reports, two individuals were killed and eight others injured after U.S. strikes targeted the Kahurestan Bridge and a residential area in Bandar Abbas. There are local accounts indicating that a railway facility was damaged as well. Tasnim news agency reported that a communications tower overlooking the city was struck, leading to power outages in surrounding areas. Officials in Hormozgan province, whose capital is Bandar Abbas, stated that six bridges were hit in the latest attacks, impacting key transportation routes connecting Bandar Abbas with nearby towns. These include the Gariyeh Bridge on the Bandar Abbas-Khamir-Lar route, a bridge near Latidan village, two bridges on the Kahurestan-Lar road, a partially constructed bridge on the Bandar Khamir-Keshar-Bandar Abbas axis, and a bridge in Maroo village. Elsewhere, officials noted that Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran sustained damage due to an attack, resulting in power outages. Authorities in Semnan reported that the main building of a civil institution was also impacted. A U.S. service member was killed in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of an explosive device from a downed Iranian drone. This incident occurred a day after two U.S. soldiers were killed and another is missing from an Iranian attack in Jordan. The fatality raises the total number of U.S. soldiers killed since the commencement of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran to 17. The U.S. military confirmed the death of the soldier, stating he was killed on July 18 during the detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone. Another service member suffered minor injuries during the event. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated that the remains of the deceased soldier had been discovered at the scene, and identification processes were underway. This announcement followed the U.S. conducting attacks on Iran for an eighth consecutive night, prompting retaliatory actions from Tehran involving missiles and drones directed at U.S. assets in the Gulf. Both nations have increased the intensity of their attacks recently, as the interim ceasefire agreement signed a month earlier has effectively collapsed, intensifying the struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping channel. The conflict has resulted in numerous casualties, primarily within Iran and Lebanon, and has caused substantial disruptions to energy supplies, raising concerns about global inflation. Iran has deployed hundreds of low-cost, highly explosive one-way attack drones known as "Shaheds," which are relatively inexpensive to produce compared to the costly interceptors required to neutralize them. Reports indicate that each Shahed drone costs approximately $30,000 to manufacture, whereas the interceptors used to counter them can cost millions of dollars each and often fail to locate their targets. Recent reports suggest that the U.S. conducted an attack near the city of Sirik in southern Iran and near Shadegan, close to the border with Iraq. An explosion was later reported in Abadan, in Iran's southwest. Additionally, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization criticized a U.S. attack on the site of a nuclear power plant under construction in Darkhovin, as reported by Iran's Mehr news agency. The International Atomic Energy Agency is currently investigating reports of an overnight attack, noting that the plant is still in the initial phase of construction. In response to the latest strikes, Iran executed drone attacks on U.S. military assets and equipment at Kuwait’s Al-Adiri camp and the Ali Al Salem airbase, according to Iranian state television. Kuwait's government stated that a desalination plant had been attacked for the second consecutive day, causing a fire, which it described as a direct strike on vital civilian infrastructure. Bahrain's air defenses also intercepted an Iranian attack on Sunday, as reported by Bahraini state television, while sirens were heard in Jordan, where the military claimed to have shot down three Iranian missiles. Jordan has summoned Iran’s charge d'affaires in protest against recent attacks.