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Bridge-for-Ship Threat
President Donald Trump warned that the United States military will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located near or inside the capital city of Tehran, every time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
“US President Donald Trump warned Thursday that the US will destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz”
Trump delivered the threat via a Truth Social post on Wednesday, and CNBC said the vow ratchets up hostilities after the collapse of a ceasefire and the recent deaths of three American service members whose remains Trump was scheduled to receive later Wednesday.
Al Jazeera reported that the warning, if carried out, would target Iran’s civilian infrastructure each time Tehran’s forces fire at a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, and it described the dispute as already spiralling across the region.
The same Al Jazeera report said the U.S. and Iran have been exchanging attacks for the past 12 days as a memorandum of understanding meant to end the war got derailed over the fate of the Strait of Hormuz.
In response to Trump’s threat, Majid Mousavi, head of the Aerospace Force in the IRGC, warned that if Iran’s power stations are hit, Tehran would retaliate against countries that host US troops, saying, "If our bridges and power plants are attacked, the power outage of the allies and hosts of the child killers is certain."
Iran’s Retaliation Equation
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened reprisals in response to any U.S. attack on Iranian infrastructure, writing, "Our defense doctrine is clear: eye for an eye," and adding that any aggression against Iran, including its infrastructure, would compel a "powerful and decisive response."
DW also reported that Araghchi warned that those who contribute to such aggression, whatever the kind of support, would be considered legitimate targets.
Euronews said Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X that "the equation in this war is clear: either everyone or no one," and it linked the statement to Iran’s insistence that the Strait of Hormuz would not return to pre-war conditions.
In the same Euronews account, a senior Iranian official told Tasnim News Agency that Tehran would target infrastructure and bridges across the region, including energy facilities in which the United States has interests, if Washington struck a bridge or power plant inside Iran.
CNBC added that an unnamed Iranian military source told Tasnim News Agency that if the Americans target a bridge or a power plant in Iran, Iran will, in turn, strike infrastructure, bridges, and energy facilities in the region with American interests.
Dover Ceremony and Stakes
As the U.S. and Iran traded threats over the Strait of Hormuz, Trump attended a "dignified transfer" ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday for the remains of four service members killed in action in the region.
“President Donald Trump has warned that the United States military will target Iran’s civilian infrastructure each time Tehran’s forces fire at a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz”
DW said the ceremony included four cases draped with the Stars and Stripes flag carried off a military transport plane and into vehicles waiting on the runway, and it quoted Trump saying, "All I'm going to say is, we love you. We love your child, and that's what they are to them."
Al Jazeera reported that Trump said Iran will "pay a big price" for killing US troops and quoted him saying, "They're getting decimated," as he departed for the airbase.
The Al Jazeera report also said the renewed war sent oil prices soaring once again after a brief reprieve during the ceasefire, and it stated that the average price of one gallon (3.4 litres) of petrol in the US has surpassed $4 after dropping to around $3.80 from a high of $4.50 during the truce.
Euronews framed the dispute as resuming hostilities on July 7 after a memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June, and it said the conflict threatens to widen as Trump vowed to destroy a bridge or a power plant for every attack Tehran carries out on any ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
