Tehran, July 9, 2026: The United States has destroyed a strategically important railway bridge in Iran that forms part of a trade corridor linking the country with Russia and China.
According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, the missile strike targeted the Ogtay Khan railway bridge in Iran’s northern Golestan province. The bridge is part of a rail route connecting Iran with Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and onward to China, while also serving as a major freight corridor between Iran and Russia.
Iranian authorities confirmed that train services between Tehran and Mashhad were suspended following the attack. Railway officials said engineering teams had been dispatched to repair the damaged section, while alternative road transport was being arranged for passengers.
The report said the railway corridor had become increasingly important this year after disruptions to maritime trade in the Persian Gulf, prompting Iran to divert a significant share of its trade with China and Russia to overland routes.
Iranian officials described the strike as the first US attack in the current conflict to target civilian infrastructure instead of military facilities. Previous US operations had focused on missile bases, air defence systems and other military installations.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as a strike on civilian infrastructure and an international trade corridor, calling it a war crime and a violation of international law.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) alleged that the United States carried out the attack to divert global attention during the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US Central Command confirmed carrying out strikes against multiple targets across Iran in recent operations but has not officially commented on Iranian claims that the Ogtay Khan railway bridge was among the targets.
