The US has continued its heavy airstrikes on Iran for the seventh consecutive night. In the latest military operation, the US military has also targeted public infrastructure such as bridges, power plants and communication towers in Iran, according to Iranian media.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump had threatened to attack physical infrastructure there to reduce Iranian control over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and put pressure on Tehran.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees West Asia, confirmed that fighter jets, drones and warships used fighter jets, drones and warships to strike strategic Iranian military bases, underground weapons depots and naval sites.

The US attacks last week appear to have focused particularly on public infrastructure in southern Iran's Hormuz province. According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, heavy bombardment also occurred in Bushehr and Yazd provinces on Saturday morning. Five powerful explosions were heard in Yazd province and three in the Sirik region of Hormuz.

At least six important bridges have been destroyed by US attacks in Hormuz province, located on the coast of the Strait of Hormuz. The capital and main port city of Bandar Abbas, a major transit point for daily necessities, is used to transport large quantities of daily necessities to various parts of the country, including the central capital Tehran.

That is why if the roads, railways and bridges connecting this city are destroyed, Iran risks an acute shortage of essential supplies. 

According to Iranian officials, the US is deliberately going beyond military targets and striking water treatment plants, power plants and food storage sites. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi strongly condemned the US move, accusing Washington of committing a “war crime”.

The Iranian Energy Ministry has appealed to citizens in the southern province to reduce electricity consumption due to damage to electrical infrastructure. According to information given on Friday by Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour, at least 38 people have been killed in the US attacks in the last six days. More than 400 have been injured.

According to military analysts, the US has adopted this strategy to fully implement the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and force Iran to surrender or come to the negotiating table.

The Iranian Navy is headquartered in Bandar Abbas, where the US is demolishing roads and bridges to stop arms supplies from Tehran. The US believes that the weakening of the Iranian Navy in Bandar Abbas will automatically weaken its control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Mark Hilborn, a senior professor at the School of Security Studies at King's College London, told Al Jazeera that the US attacks have gone beyond military objectives. "The US seems to be trying to defend the attack by arguing that these infrastructures are being used to transport military supplies. However, this is having a direct and serious impact on civilians," he said.

In response to the US attack, Iran has been continuously firing missiles at US partner countries in the Middle East. Iran has launched missiles at countries including Qatar, which is playing the role of mediator, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. On Friday alone, the main water treatment plant that supplies Kuwait with its entire supply was attacked, causing major damage.

Iran has claimed that it has so far adopted a strategy of resistance only. However, if the US continues the attack, it will enter an aggressive and completely destructive phase of the war, warned Major General Mohsen Rezaei, an advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader.

"If the US attack continues for the next two or three days, Iran's strategy will not be limited to retaliatory responses. The war will enter a destructive phase and no political borders will be safe," Rezaei was quoted as saying by the Iranian news agency IRIB.

On February 28, Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, considered the world's main fuel corridor, after the US and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran.

Iran's move has boosted global crude prices and given it strong bargaining power in the talks. Tensions have reached a peak after both sides failed to honor an interim agreement reached on June 17 to reopen the waterway within 30 days.

London-based military analyst Alex Alvarez-Sears told Al Jazeera that the attacks on infrastructure outside conventional military bases signal a major shift in US strategy.

He speculated that US President Trump is desperate and may be preparing to land troops on Iranian soil, and the current attack could be the first step in that direction.

However, Simon Mabon, a professor of international relations at Lancaster University in the UK, argues that Trump is unlikely to take such a risk, as deploying ground troops in Iran would be suicidal.

He said this could simply be maximum pressure to bring Iran to talks, but such attacks on civilian infrastructure could further fuel anti-American sentiment among the Iranian people.

Crude oil prices continue to rise

Crude oil prices rose more than 4 percent in the international market on Friday. This increase is the highest in the past one month.  The obstruction created in the Strait of Hormuz and the threat of the Houthi rebels to close the Red Sea have created a serious crisis in oil transportation.

Brent crude prices rose by $3.87 (4.59 percent) per barrel to $88.10 on Friday. Similarly, the price of US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) has also increased by $3.54 (4.48 percent) to $82.49 per barrel.

This price of both types of crude oil is the highest since mid-June. Similarly, the Indian Basket, the crude oil purchased by India, was traded at around $81.82, according to OilPrice.com.