Trump Threatens to Strike Iran Bridges, Power Plants Over Hormuz Attacks

US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iranian infrastructure in retaliation for attacks on shipping in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, warning that the United States is not yet ready to end its military campaign against Tehran.

Trump said on Wednesday that Washington would target an Iranian bridge or power plant for every attack allegedly carried out against vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The threat came as tensions over the strategic waterway intensified, with the conflict between the United States and Iran disrupting one of the world's most important routes for the transportation of oil and gas.

In a post on social media, Trump said: “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.”

The warning represents a further escalation in Trump's threats against Iranian infrastructure as Washington seeks to pressure Tehran over attacks on shipping and the wider conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is a critical global energy corridor. Any prolonged disruption to shipping through the waterway could have far-reaching consequences for international oil supplies and prices.

The escalating confrontation has already unsettled global energy markets, with Brent crude briefly rising above $95 a barrel on Wednesday, according to market reports.

The disruption has also increased political pressure on Trump to find a way to de-escalate the conflict, particularly as the financial cost of the US military campaign continues to rise.

However, the president has so far rejected suggestions that the United States is preparing to withdraw.

“We’re not finished at all… we’re not leaving right now,” Trump said on Tuesday.

The Pentagon's chief, Pete Hegseth, reportedly put the cost of the US military operation at $37.5 billion, while defending a request for additional military funding.

Despite Trump's increasingly aggressive rhetoric, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained open to a diplomatic resolution.

“We remain open to working it out in a negotiated way. But right now, they don’t seem to be serious about that,” Rubio said while attending a Southeast Asian ministers' meeting in Manila.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, meanwhile, had previously indicated that diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Washington were continuing through intermediaries.

The diplomatic efforts, however, have so far failed to produce a lasting breakthrough, with the fighting around the Strait of Hormuz contributing to the collapse of a preliminary agreement between the two sides.

Iran has also reportedly maintained its blockade of the strategic waterway and continued firing on vessels attempting to transit the area, further raising concerns about the security of global energy shipments.

On Wednesday afternoon, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that a US missile had struck Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, although the extent of the reported damage remained unclear.

The US military said it had carried out an 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, describing the operations as targeting military sites intended to reduce Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has also identified a suspected underground Iranian facility known as Pickaxe Mountain, or Kolang in Persian, as a potential future target.

The site, located near Natanz, has reportedly attracted attention from Western intelligence agencies over suspicions that Iran may be conducting undeclared nuclear-related activities there.

Iran has rejected the allegations.

Iran's military command warned that any US attack on the facility would amount to an expansion of the war and threatened retaliation against US interests, as well as those of Washington's allies and supporters.

Baqaei also dismissed Washington's focus on the site, saying the claims about nuclear activity were being used as a pretext for military action.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, meanwhile, told the BBC that inspectors should already be in Iran and stressed the importance of verifying the country's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The confrontation has also spilled into the wider Gulf region, with Iran reportedly targeting US-linked military assets and prompting heightened security alerts in several countries.

Kuwait's military said its air defences were engaging Iranian drones, while Jordan reported intercepting four missiles and four drones.

Air-raid sirens were also reported in Bahrain, where an explosion was heard by an AFP correspondent in the capital, Manama.

Iran's military claimed to have targeted US assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defence systems, radar installations and administrative facilities.

The country's Revolutionary Guards also said they had targeted US bases in Jordan.

The situation has raised fears that the conflict could widen further across the Middle East, particularly following threats by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen to impose a blockade on Saudi ports.

Trump warned that the United States would respond if the Houthis carried out the threat.

The Houthis have yet to resume their previous attacks on commercial shipping, but maritime intelligence provider Vanguard Tech reportedly said two tankers, one Singapore-flagged and another Liberia-flagged, had reversed course in the Red Sea after loading crude at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port.

Any sustained disruption to Saudi Arabia's ability to export oil through alternative routes could further intensify pressure on global energy markets.

The Strait of Hormuz remains particularly critical because of its role in the movement of a significant share of global oil supplies. A prolonged blockade or sustained attacks on commercial vessels could therefore trigger higher energy prices, increase transportation costs and worsen inflationary pressures in economies around the world.

The latest crisis also evokes the disruption caused by Houthi attacks on shipping during the Gaza war, which began in October 2023. At the time, attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden forced many commercial vessels to take longer routes around Africa, while the United States launched military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen.

With the US-Iran conflict now entering a more dangerous phase, the combination of military escalation, threats against critical infrastructure and disruption to the Strait of Hormuz is raising fresh concerns about the possibility of a wider regional war and its impact on the global economy.