US President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that the US will destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s latest threat to target civilian infrastructure came as the unpopular war spirals with no clear offramp, threatening further worldwide economic disruption and sending fuel prices up ahead of midterm US elections this fall. Both sides have dug in on their dispute over the strait, a crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely closed because of Iranian attacks.
The US carried out another wave of strikes on Iran overnight into Wednesday, and air defenses opened fire over the capital, Tehran. Iran launched a missile attack on a Jordanian city on Israel’s doorstep, and alerts were issued in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
With negotiations largely stalled, both sides have sought leverage by targeting civilian infrastructure. Iran has responded to US attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and desalination plants that provide drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf countries.
International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure is being used for military purposes. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried such attacks as “unacceptable” on Tuesday.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump was due at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday as the remains of four US service members were scheduled to arrive. A day earlier, his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, estimated in a fiery Senate hearing that the US had spent $37.5 billion on the war so far.
