Дата публикации: 17-07-2026 11:47:15

US extends Iran strikes to bridges, airport
Welcome back to the Daily Briefing.This is Ezgi Akin, filling in for Gabrielle. In today’s edition:US strikes bridges, airport, energy infrastructure in IranTrump taps Russia-born investor to oversee TRIPPFrance-Morocco energy cooperation grows as heat waves pressure EuropeAs US ties fray, top Oman official visits ChinaThanks for reading,Ezgi (ezgi_akin)US strikes bridges, airport, energy infrastructure in IranIran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain shut. — ReutersUS strikes hit bridges, an airport and energy infrastructure in southern Iran on Friday as Washington’s bombing campaign broadened and Tehran targeted Gulf countries.Iranian state media reported that at least five bridges were struck, including in the southern port of Bandar Khamir, where seven people were reportedly killed and the railway station was also hit. An airport was struck further east in Iranshahr, near the Pakistani border, while separate attacks in Bandar Abbas reportedly killed a woman and wounded her child.US Central Command said its latest targets included “military logistics infrastructure.” The attacks were largely concentrated along Iran’s southern coast.Tehran responded by hitting a power and desalination ​plant in Kuwait later on Friday.Tehran also accused US forces of firing three missiles at a maritime traffic-control tower at Chabahar Port in the southeastern Makran region. Iranian authorities described the tower as an entirely civilian facility serving fishermen and maritime navigation, calling its destruction a “heinous attack.”Iran’s Energy Ministry urged citizens to reduce electricity consumption, saying extreme heat and attacks on power infrastructure had placed the grid under strain in southern provinces. It did not specify whether power plants, transmission lines or other facilities had been damaged.Listen to a breakdown of the top headlines on today’s episode of the Middle East Minute podcast with Adam Lucente.Trump taps Russia-born investor to oversee $200M+ fund backing Armenia-Azerbaijan corridorUS President Donald Trump (C) sits in between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan (L) and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a signing ceremony for the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22, 2026, in Davos, Switzerland. — Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThe US-backed corridor linking Azerbaijan through Armenia to Turkey is advancing, with Russian-American investor Konstantin Sokolov appointed to chair a State Department fund overseeing more than $200 million in investment.The project aims to connect Europe with Central Asia, reduce reliance on Russian and Chinese infrastructure and support peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Sokolov is a major Republican donor with extensive Armenian business interests.Major obstacles before the corridor remain. Armenia and Azerbaijan have yet to sign a final peace agreement and Baku is demanding constitutional changes from Yerevan. Regional tensions involving Iran could also delay construction and large-scale US investment. Amberin Zaman has details.France-Morocco energy cooperation grows as historic heat waves pressure EuropeDirector of European Affairs and Customs at La Poste Groupe Christelle Defaye-Geneste (L) and Morocco's Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour (R) sign agreements between La Poste Groupe and Barid Al-Maghrib, alongside France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu (C-L) and his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch, during a meeting in Rabat on July 16, 2026. — Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP via Getty ImagesFrance and Morocco are exploring an undersea electricity link that could eventually carry Moroccan renewable power to France, adding a strategic energy component to their rapidly expanding partnership. Announced during French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s visit to Morocco, the proposal comes as extreme heat exposes vulnerabilities in Europe’s electricity networks and France seeks more diversified supplies. Morocco’s abundant solar and wind resources make it an attractive partner, while improving diplomatic ties have already unlocked major French investments in transportation and manufacturing. The plans remain preliminary, however, as Morocco still relies heavily on fossil fuels and must meet rising domestic demand. Read Samuel Wendel's analysis.As US ties fray, top Oman official visits ChinaJin Xin, deputy minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (C-L), meets with Idris Abdulrahman Al Kindi, Secretary-General of the National Security Council of Oman (C-R), and their respective teams in Beijing on July 10, 2026. — International Department of the CPC Central CommitteeOman is deepening diplomatic and economic engagement with China as tensions with Washington rise over the Strait of Hormuz and Muscat’s ties with Iran. Recent high-level meetings focused on regional security, trade and aligning Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative with Oman’s Vision 2040 diversification plan. China is already Oman’s largest trading partner and a major buyer of its crude, with significant investment planned in the Duqm industrial zone. Yet Muscat is not abandoning Washington, which remains its principal security partner. Instead, Oman appears to be broadening its options and reducing reliance on any single power after the Iran war exposed Gulf vulnerabilities. Read details here.
eakin@al-monitor.com
Fri, 07/17/2026 - 07:47



Ezgi Akin



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