(Central Command) United States Central Command denied claims of strikes in the city of Lamerd, Iran in the opening strikes of the conflict. Central Command said no strikes were carried out by the United States in the city at the time.
U.S. forces did not launch any strikes at any time into the city of Lamerd or anywhere within 30 miles during the opening day of Operation Epic Fury.
They went on to say that the missile wasn’t the Precision Strike Missile claimed by reports. Instead, CENTCOM claims it was an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.
Furthermore, video footage circulated by media outlets alleging U.S. involvement does not show a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). A PrSM is 13 feet in length. The munition depicted in the video appears to be twice as long, consistent with the dimensions and silhouette of an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.
Furthermore, Central Command stated that the United States doesn’t target civilians.
U.S. forces do not target civilians… [partial quote]
This claim may be technically true, but not generally. The United States might not target civilians, but it does target civilian infrastructure (which sometimes have civilians in them). Universities, power plants, and desalination plants have been targeted [Al Jazeera, March 30, 2026]. A school was also struck by the United States, killing dozens [New York Times, March 5, 2026]. According to U.S.-based rights group HRANA, over 1,500 civilians have died in the conflict so far [Reuters, March 31, 2026].
On March 7, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a desalination plant on Qeshm Island in southern Iran was attacked by the US.
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On March 27, US and Israeli strikes hit the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said, adding that it was the third attack on the facility since the war began. The plant is Iran’s only operational nuclear power facility and plays a vital role in its civilian energy programme.
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A day later [march 29], a university in Iran’s central city of Isfahan said it was hit by US-Israeli air strikes for the second time since the war erupted, leaving four university staff members wounded. [Al Jazeera]
In addition to previous strikes, United States President Trump has stated on social media that strikes on civilian infrastructure, like desalination plants, electricity, and oil, could come in the future if a deal is not reached shortly.
The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran. Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched.” This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year “Reign of Terror.” Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP
At the same time, the other two actors in the conflict, Iran and Israel, have also targeted civilian infrastructure. Israel has targeted oil facilities, universities, hospitals, and a bank.
On March 8, Israel hit Iran’s oil facilities for the first time since the war started, killing at least four people. The Aghdasieh oil warehouse in northeast Tehran, Tehran oil refinery in the south, Shahran oil depot in the west of Tehran, and an oil depot in Karaj city were the key facilities targeted. Witnesses said oil from the Shahran depot also leaked into the streets. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi also described seeing black raindrops on his windows early the next day.
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On March 11, Iran’s state broadcaster said an Israeli attack overnight had struck a state-owned Bank Sepah branch in Tehran and called it an “illegitimate and unusual act in war”. It reported that several employees were killed in the incident. [Al Jazeera]
Iran has also targeted civilian infrastructure in nations not connected to the conflict, like the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. Hotels, desalination plants, ports, oil infrastructure, commercial oil vessels, and more have been targeted by Iran [CNN, March 30, 2026].
QatarEnergy declared force majeure – meaning that it could not fulfil contracts – after several Iranian strikes on Ras Laffan, one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.
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Iranian missiles and drones have hit ports in Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar. Tehran has also targeted Salalah and Duqm in Oman, two ports that function as partial bypass routes for the blocked Strait of Hormuz.
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Iranian drones have repeatedly but unsuccessfully targeted the airport in Doha and have caused damage at Dubai’s main international airport. Extensive delays and cancellations through both hubs have taken a heavy economic toll. Qatar Airways sent several of its planes to storage in Spain as its operations were cut. [CNN]
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