Bridge B1 destroyed: why the United States struck this infrastructure in Iran

US airstrikes hit Karaj bridge in Tehran region

• The US Air Force struck the Karaj bridge twice in the Tehran region.
• This significant structure, not yet officially inaugurated, was intended to connect the Iranian capital to the Caspian Sea more quickly.
• Let’s take a look at the situation.

One month after the start of strikes in Iran, the American-Israeli coalition is increasingly targeting civilian infrastructures. The B1 bridge in Karaj, in the Tehran region, was attacked on Thursday, April 2. The airstrikes, carried out from the air, occurred in two phases. “The American-Zionist enemy once again targeted the B1 bridge in Karaj”, reported the Iranian state television, specifying that it “had already been hit an hour earlier”. “This new attack took place while the rescue teams were mobilized to assist the victims” of the first strike, it added. According to Ghodratollah Seif, vice-governor of the Alborz province – near Tehran – cited by several local media, at least 8 people were killed and 95 injured.

A symbolic target… but not only?

In this case, the Karaj bridge was a symbolic target, as it is one of the country’s most important infrastructures. Despite Western sanctions, Iranians have managed to achieve a real feat by constructing this modern jewel, 1.2 kilometers long and 136 meters high – presented by Iran as the tallest of its kind in the Middle East. It was set to be inaugurated soon and was supposed to make it easier to reach the capital Tehran to the Caspian Sea in the north. “It’s a big blow for the Iranian civilian society. This bridge was supposed to facilitate the passage of Iranians. It was still under construction and was supposed to allow (eventually) the residents of Tehran and its suburbs to quickly go north, towards the Caspian Sea”, explains Didier Idjadi, a sociologist, academic, and Iranian political refugee, on LCI.

“Testing the Iranian army’s maneuver capabilities on its own territory”

Anthony Dabila

Beyond the symbolic aspect, some experts believe that this operation can prove useful militarily. “The infrastructure is indeed designed for civilians. But it also connects Tehran with the Caspian, a sea also bordered by… Russia. This is certainly where the Shahed drones circulate (between the two countries). This is about testing the exchange capabilities between Russia and Iran via the Caspian”, explains Anthony Dabila, a researcher associated with the Institute of Strategic and Defense Studies (IESD), on LCI.

More broadly, the Iranian territory extends over predominantly hostile terrain, including large mountainous areas. So, without this type of large-scale infrastructure, “Iran can no longer maneuver (militarily), or it becomes much more difficult”, adds the expert, suggesting “the idea of testing the Iranian army’s maneuver capabilities on its own territory”.

The Iranian regime, however, announced that such attacks do not change its position, while Donald Trump calls on Iran to negotiate (on its terms) and sign an agreement “before there is nothing left of what could still become a great country”. “Striking civilian infrastructures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender. It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger”, emphasizes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. “What will never recover: damage to America’s standing”, he concludes.