Trump vows to bomb Iran's bridges and power plants for each ship attack
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President Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Trump threatened Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant, including in Tehran, each time Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters: Trump sent the new threat as he considers both a ceasefire and a significant military escalation. His key condition for a ceasefire is for Iran to stop its attacks on ships and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Driving the news: U.S. Central Command said Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels over the past three months.
- Several attacks came after the U.S. and Iran signed a June memorandum of understanding calling for a ceasefire.
What he's saying: "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, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Between the lines: The U.S. has already bombed bridges in southern Iran over the last 11 days of fighting. Targeting power plants and striking Tehran would mark another escalation.
- Attacking Tehran would likely lead to an even wider Iranian retaliation.
Iran's response: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian speaker of Parliament and chief negotiator, wrote on X that the Strait of Hormuz "will not return to its pre-war status".
- "In a region where we cannot sell oil, no one will sell oil. If our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe. The security of the Strait depends on the absence of U.S. forces," he said.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran's defense doctrine is "eye for an eye" and threatened countries that actively support U.S. attacks against Iran.
- "Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response," he wrote on X. "Those who contribute to such aggression, whatever the kind of support, will also be considered as legitimate targets."
- Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Mousavi, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force, threatened that if the U.S. bombs bridges and power plants in Iran, there will be "power outages" in other countries in the region that are U.S. allies.
Editor's note: This is breaking news and will be updated.
