President Trump escalated his rhetoric toward Iran on Wednesday, warning that the U.S. will destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant, potentially even inside Tehran, every time Iran targets a ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The threat comes as Trump weighs two very different paths forward: a possible ceasefire or a major escalation of the conflict. His central demand for any truce remains the same, that Iran halt its attacks on shipping and allow the strait to reopen fully.
U.S. Central Command says Iran has struck more than 30 commercial vessels over the past three months, with several of those attacks occurring even after Washington and Tehran signed a ceasefire framework in June.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said that going forward, any Iranian strike on a vessel in the strait, whether by missile, rocket, drone or any other weapon, would trigger the destruction of one bridge or power plant on Iranian soil, explicitly including sites near or within Tehran.
Read more about this topic: Rubio says the U.S. is still open to Iran talks. American strikes on Iranian sites are now in their 11th straight night
The threat marks a notable jump in intensity. U.S. forces have already struck bridges in southern Iran over the past 11 days of fighting, but expanding targets to power plants and the capital itself would represent a significant widening of the campaign, one that could invite a much broader Iranian counterattack.
Regional sources say Qatari mediators are still working to broker an agreement that would end the fighting and restore normal shipping through the strait. Still, Trump’s comments Wednesday suggested he believes additional pressure, not diplomacy alone, is what will bring Iran to the table. Speaking at an event in Georgia, he said Iran is being hit hard enough that it wants a deal, but argued the country isn’t truly ready, claiming Iran has a habit of renegotiating terms after agreeing to them. He predicted that would change soon.
