[Anchor]

The conflict between the United States and Iran has entered its seventh day. Attacks from both sides are now targeting critical infrastructure, including bridges and railways. U.S. fighter jets are gathering in the Middle East once again, and Iran has declared its intent to launch an all-out offensive.

Kim Minpyo reports.

[Reporter]

The U.S. Central Command announced on July 17 (local time) that it had destroyed a surveillance tower at Chabahar Port, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps uses to track vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

A day earlier, U.S. forces conducted targeted strikes on infrastructure connecting the Hormuz coast to the interior, including bridges, railways, and roads.

The operation is reportedly aimed at severing Iranian military supply lines. Iran stated that at least eight people were killed.

[Amin Hasani / State-run IRIB Reporter: A tanker was set ablaze after being struck by the U.S. military while crossing this bridge.]

The United States is once again reinforcing its military presence in the Middle East.

Reports indicate that dozens of aerial refueling tankers have been additionally deployed to Israel, and fighter jets previously stationed at U.S. bases in Europe are being redeployed to the Middle East, fueling speculation that a large-scale airstrike is imminent.

In response, Iran has attacked Qatar, which has been mediating negotiations with the U.S., and has also struck power plants and seawater desalination facilities in Kuwait.

In Jordan, it is reported that several U.S. soldiers were injured in an Iranian attack on a U.S. military base.

Iran has warned that if U.S. attacks continue, it will launch an all-out offensive.

[Mohsen Rezaei / Military Advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran: An all-out offensive means it will not stop at mere retaliation, and it means that no country will be safe from Iran's attacks.]

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that two oil tankers exploded in the southern shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz, where sea mines had been planted.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively blocked, and Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi rebels showing signs of closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea—an alternative shipping route—international oil prices have surged by nearly 5%.

(Source: U.S. Central Command SNS | Video by Lee Seung-yeol)