US strikes strategic railway bridge linking Iran to China, Russia

On the second straight day of its renewed strikes on the country, the US struck a strategic railway bridge in northern Iran linking it to China and Russia, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported Thursday.

The cruise missile attack targeted the Ogtay Khan railway bridge in the northeastern Golestan province on Thursday morning, the agency added.

The agency described the bridge as a strategic point on the railway corridor connecting China, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

The reported strike came as Iran suspended passenger rail services between Tehran and the northeastern city of Mashhad after what locals described as a US-Israeli attack on a section of the line.

Iranian state railway said repair crews were sent to the site and that stranded passengers would be transported by road to Mashhad.

The US military’s Central Command said American forces had launched additional strikes on Iran to further degrade Tehran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran and the US on June 17 reached a Pakistan-brokered framework agreement aimed at ending their military conflict and paving the way for a lasting peace agreement.

However, on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared that the deal was "over," effectively triggering a new round of military confrontation.