US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran’s bridges and power plants as early as next week if Tehran refuses to return to negotiations, sharply escalating tensions as the two countries exchanged attacks for a fourth consecutive day.
The US President also declined to rule out the possibility of deploying American ground troops to Iran, although he indicated that he preferred other options.”Sometimes you need a ground campaign, but we have other people that will do the ground campaign for us,” Trump added.
The remarks came hours after Trump abandoned his controversial proposal to impose a 20% fee on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying it would instead be replaced by “massive” trade and investment deals with Gulf states. However, Washington simultaneously resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News that aired on Tuesday night, Trump warned that the United States would intensify military action unless Iran resumed talks.
“Next week it gets really bad for them. We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate,” Trump said.
“We’re going to hit them very hard tomorrow night. We’re going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them, because next week comes the power plants.
Next week comes the bridges. We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate,” Trump told Fox News.
He added that energy infrastructure would also be targeted if diplomacy failed.”I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said.
Claiming that US negotiators had delivered a blunt message to Tehran, Trump said, “You better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left.”
According to CNN, US and Iranian representatives remain in contact, but the Trump administration has maintained that negotiations cannot move forward while Iran continues to limit maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked about the duration of the military campaign, Trump said the strikes would continue until he decides otherwise.
The US military also launched a seven-hour wave of strikes targeting what it described as Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation struck “dozens” of military targets to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews.
Iran said at least seven military personnel were killed in strikes on a base near the southeastern city of Bampur.
Tehran responded by launching missiles and drones at US-linked targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, according to Iranian state media. Kuwait and Bahrain later said they had intercepted the incoming aerial attacks.
CENTCOM also accused Iran of deliberately targeting commercial shipping, saying attacks on seven merchant vessels had left “nearly a dozen civilian crew members killed, missing, or injured.”
The conflict has already affected Indian nationals. The renewed fighting has disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, with shipping volumes falling sharply and global oil prices rising.
Earlier this week, Trump declared that the United States was the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and announced that while the proposed transit fee had been dropped, Iranian shipping would continue to face restrictions.
Iran rejected the move, insisting it remained in control of the strategic waterway. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Washington was mistaken if it believed military pressure and an economic blockade would force Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Trump’s latest threats have also renewed international concern over attacks on civilian infrastructure. Earlier this year, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that deliberately targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure would constitute a war crime under international law.
