U.S. forces on Friday launched a new round of strikes against Iran at 15:00 Eastern Time (1900 GMT), marking the seventh consecutive night of attacks, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
U.S. forces, including fighter jets, drones and warships, had carried out precision strikes against dozens of Iranian military targets, including surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities, said CENTCOM.
The strikes are intended to further degrade Iran's military capabilities, CENTCOM said earlier on the day.
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that at least eight people were killed and 19 others wounded in U.S. strikes on the southern province of Hormozgan. Five bridges and a railway junction station were among the reported targets.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that Iranian forces struck a U.S. base in Kuwait, targeting air defense radar systems, weapons depots and other military equipment, while naval forces hit U.S. radar facilities in Oman. The Iranian Army said it also carried out drone strikes against U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Earlier on Friday, Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said that an Iranian attack struck a power generation and water desalination plant in the country, triggering a fire and causing extensive damage.
Firefighting teams had brought the blaze under control, while technical crews were working to repair the damaged units and restore them to service, the ministry said.
The latest escalation came despite a peace memorandum of understanding signed on June 18 under which the U.S. and Iran were expected to hold negotiations within 60 days to seek a final agreement.
U.S. forces launch new waves of strikes against Iran for 7th consecutive night
China's steel production giant Baowu Steel Group is showcasing its latest achievements in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at the ongoing 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai, aiming at using advanced technology to replace humans in dangerous job positions.
China Baowu Steel Group, as world's largest steel maker, is headquartered in Shanghai, and produces over 130 million metric tonnes of crude steel annually, making it nearly twice the size of its closest global competitor.
In recent years, this traditional manufacturer has introduced robots into its steel production line to lift efficiency and turn high-risk jobs into fully unmanned operations.
"This robot can be used in the scenario of a steel converter, which is vital for testing molten steel quality in steel production. Traditionally, workers carry steel sampling rods from the sampling pump manually. The workplace is extremely dusty and hot, with strong heat radiation from the nearby converter. We plan to adopt robots to take over this work and free staff away from this high-temperature hazardous area," said Ke Tianyang, engineer of Turin Robotics of the Baowu Group.
In 2023, the steel giant realized what is called a "lights-out factory," which refers to an intelligent factory that does not require manual intervention in the entire process of production, storage, and testing, and can be run automatically by machines even when the lights are off.
Earlier this year, the company launched its AI 2.0 strategy, aiming to integrate artificial intelligence across its operations. From steel production and research to corporate governance and customer services, the initiative is designed to accelerate the adoption of smart technologies throughout the business.
"We've launched AI systems for converter furnace foremen and cold rolling operators. Trained on our years of production management know-how, they combine big data and large models to optimize scheduling, lift resource efficiency, boost safety and ease labor burden, enabling a true lights-out factory," said Tian Guobing, chairman of Baosight Software Co., Ltd., a listed industrial software and IT solutions provider with the controlling stake held by China Baowu Steel Group.
Scheduled from Friday to Monday and themed "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future," the 2026 World AI Conference includes more than 140 forums, bringing together 1,400 guests from home and abroad.
For the first time, the exhibition area exceeds 100,000 square meters, with over 1,100 enterprises participating.
China's steel production giant opens to AI for more efficient operation
