Trump warns Iran: We will bomb bridges and power plants if you hit our ships

The United States will target an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Tehran attacks a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday in a stern message.

Through the Truth Social platform, the American leader stressed that the U.S. will react immediately to any Iranian attack against ships in this strategic waterway, regardless of whether rockets, shells, drones or any other type of weapon are used.

This threat came at a time when the Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, have targeted another vital corridor for global oil. Five tankers changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, following Houthi warnings of a blockade on Saudi exports. Three ships loaded with Saudi oil destined for China and India had turned back a day earlier.

Tehran’s reaction was swift. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, warned on July 22 that if the American threat is carried out, no infrastructure would be safe. In a post on X, he added that peace in the Strait of Hormuz can only be restored after the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has fueled global inflation, while the new risk to shipping near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has pushed oil prices close to their highest levels in nearly six weeks. Saudi Arabia has redirected millions of barrels of oil per day to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea to bypass Hormuz, but a possible blockade of the southern route by the Houthis would force shipments to use the Suez Canal, extending the journey by weeks and raising costs.

U.S. airstrikes have shifted from the south toward western and central areas of Iran. For the eleventh consecutive night, Tehran residents heard explosions from the activation of air defense systems over the capital, according to the Fars agency. In Bushehr province, where Iran’s sole nuclear power plant is located, three sites were hit, including an electrical substation near it. Targets were also reported in the Kabudarahang district of Hamadan province.

Meanwhile, the Iranian military announced it had targeted accommodation and storage facilities at Al Azraq base in Jordan, as well as maintenance hangars at Sheikh Isa base in Bahrain and Camp Doha in Kuwait. Authorities in these countries claimed they had repelled the attacks. An Iranian Health Ministry official said 53 civilians have been killed and 592 wounded since the end of last month, although the U.S. military insists it never targets civilians. On the other hand, 18 U.S. service members have been killed and over 450 wounded.

Trump attended a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the four soldiers killed in Iranian attacks on bases in Jordan and Iraq. Calling it one of the heaviest duties of the presidency, he stressed that it was an obligation that had to be fulfilled.

On the diplomatic front, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran of not being serious in talks, adding that accepting Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent for other regions such as the South China Sea. During a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, Rubio stressed that the U.S. will act to protect its interests and those of its allies if Tehran does not engage genuinely.