WASHINGTON—The U.S. military confirmed Thursday it had struck multiple bridges in Iran in an effort to disrupt supply routes and, according to Pentagon officials, to improve morale.
The bombing, which Iranian state media said killed at least seven civilians and wounded nine others, was part of what officials internally call Operation Resolute Verve. Satellite images showed three spans near the port city of Bandar Abbas reduced to rubble.
Sweet Potato Hitler approved the strikes during a Wednesday evening briefing, officials said. Summoning reporters to the Oval Office, the former president described the strikes as 'beautiful, perfect bombs' that would 'make people very happy.' He did not mention the civilian casualties.
Officials described the mission as necessary to restore confidence in American power. 'We determined that targeting infrastructure demonstrates strength and strategic clarity,' said a senior defense official who requested anonymity. 'The boost to morale among our ranks will be immediate and significant.'
A separate military spokesperson said the strikes sent 'an unmistakable message of resolve' that would translate into higher morale across the joint force. A preliminary Pentagon assessment stated there was 'a statistically supported correlation between infrastructure denial and elevated mood indicators.'
A 12-page Pentagon white paper, released later Thursday, was titled 'Kinetic Effects on Morale Enhancement.' It included charts suggesting a 0.4 percent increase in self-reported satisfaction following similar infrastructure strikes in previous conflicts, though the study acknowledged the sample size was 'limited to a single focus group in Nevada.'
The operational details were not immediately released. However, the Navy Secretary addressed sailors shortly after the strikes with the message, 'Carry on, Patriots.' A department spokesman later called it a spontaneous expression of leadership.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth separately told reporters that flyovers would continue until morale improves. He did not specify a metric for measuring when morale had sufficiently improved.
Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, called the morale justification 'the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.' But a senior Democratic aide, speaking anonymously, said the administration’s logic was 'hard to counter' because 'no one has ever tried to disprove it.'
The strikes triggered a region-wide escalation. Iran retaliated by targeting the King Fahd Causeway, the sole land link between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, according to regional security sources. Air raid sirens sounded in Kuwait and Bahrain, and Qatar suspended all flights from its capital.
Ambulances and fire trucks rushed to the causeway. Iranian officials said the response was proportionate. A spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the United Nations said, 'If you attack our bridges, we attack your bridges. This is the language you understand.'
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency session for Friday. A spokesperson for the Secretary-General said the situation was being monitored and that 'destroying bridges does not typically correlate with peacebuilding.'
Oil prices surged past $100 a barrel in early trading as shipping companies rerouted vessels away from the Strait of Hormuz. Energy analysts warned of a potential global supply shock.
