US Strikes Iran Railway Bridge Linking to China and Russia

The US expanded its second day of renewed strikes on Iran by hitting a strategic railway bridge in the country’s north that links Tehran to China and Russia, according to Iranian state media. Cruise missiles hit the Aq Tekeh-Khan railway bridge in Iran’s northern Golestan province, striking a link on the rail corridor connecting Iran to China and Russia.

What was hit

US strikes conducted overnight on Thursday damaged the Aq Taqeh Khan railway bridge in Iran’s Golestan province, according to Fars news agency. The bridge serves as a trade route connecting Iran to China and Russia. The railway passes through Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and has functioned as a land link to China.

Targeting a bridge near the Turkmenistan border represented one of the deepest US strikes into Iranian territory since the conflict began. Tehran suspended passenger rail services between the capital and Mashhad following the strike, with local residents describing the damage as part of a broader US-Israeli assault on transportation infrastructure.

Why this corridor matters

The route gained additional importance this year during the US blockade of Iran’s Gulf ports, Fars reported. Russia has used the route for cargo shipments to Iran since late 2025, the agency said.

At least 65 trains had travelled from China to Iran over the past year, and the number of transiting trains had tripled after the start of US pressure on Iran’s ports. That makes the bridge more than a military asset, it is a sanctions-workaround artery.

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Hormuz traffic collapses

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill after renewed US strikes on Iran and fresh attacks on commercial vessels. Only 14 commodity carriers crossed the waterway on Wednesday, the lowest number since the interim peace deal in mid-June, with movements largely confined to an Iranian-approved northern route.

US Central Command announced strikes against approximately 90 Iranian military targets along the coastline, including air defense systems and missile storage sites, as Defense Secretary Hegseth said the United States will continue hitting Iran hard.

Iran’s response

Iran’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it described as “aggressive attacks” by the US military on sites throughout southern coastal provinces and two railway bridges along the line leading to the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. The attacks constitute “a grave war crime”, it said in a statement. The ministry accused the US of breaching Articles 1 and 5 of the memorandum of understanding on ending the war.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has declared that the Strait of Hormuz will open only under “Iranian arrangements,” not US threats. He warned that “if you strike, you will be struck,” following fresh US strikes on Iran.

Options market and stocks to watch

With Hormuz throughput collapsing and a China-Russia trade artery through Iran now damaged, watch these names for flow:

XOM and CVX: watch for crude-linked bid as Gulf shipping slows and traders reprice supply risk.

USO: watch for continued sensitivity to Hormuz headlines and any tanker disruption data.

LMT and RTX: watch defense names on any further CENTCOM strike packages and munitions replenishment orders.

BABA: watch for reaction to disruption of the overland China-Iran rail corridor that had been carrying rising freight volumes.

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