Trump Threatens Iranian Bridges and Power Plants Over Strait of Hormuz Attacks/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ President Donald Trump says the United States will destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant whenever Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The warning came as both countries continued exchanging strikes and diplomatic efforts showed little progress. The conflict has disrupted a vital energy route, raised oil prices and increased concerns about civilian infrastructure and a wider regional war.
Quick Look
- Trump threatened to destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant for every attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
- The United States completed an 11th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran.
- Iran launched missiles and drones toward Jordan, while alerts were issued in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
- Iranian officials said recent U.S. attacks killed 53 people and wounded nearly 600.
- Brent crude traded near $94 per barrel as disruptions continued in the strait.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated that the war had cost the United States $37.5 billion.
- Diplomatic outreach through Pakistan has not produced a clear path toward ending the conflict.
- Trump also suggested that the U.S. could strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility.
Deep Look
Trump Announces Retaliatory Infrastructure Policy
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that the United States would respond to every Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz by destroying a bridge or power plant in Iran.
“From this point forward, 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,” Trump wrote on social media.
The warning marks another escalation in a conflict that has increasingly centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz, an essential maritime route for global energy supplies.
Shipping through the waterway remains severely restricted because of Iranian attacks. During peacetime, approximately one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait.
Civilian Infrastructure Becomes Part of the Conflict
The United States and Iran have both targeted infrastructure as they seek greater leverage.
American strikes have hit facilities in Iran, while Tehran has attacked energy and water-desalination infrastructure in neighboring Gulf countries allied with Washington. Desalination plants are especially important in the region because they provide drinking water to millions of residents.
International law generally prohibits attacks against civilian infrastructure unless the facilities are being used for military purposes.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described such attacks as “unacceptable” on Tuesday.
Financial and Human Costs Continue to Rise
Trump’s warning came as the remains of four U.S. service members were scheduled to arrive at Dover Air Force Base.
During a Senate hearing Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated that the United States had spent $37.5 billion on the conflict.
Energy markets have also felt the impact. Benchmark Brent crude traded at approximately $94 per barrel Wednesday, while gasoline prices continued to rise ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.
The threat from Iran-backed Houthi rebels to target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea has added concerns about a second major trade route becoming disrupted.
Iranian Missiles Target Jordanian City
Jordan’s military said it intercepted four Iranian missiles over Aqaba. Two additional missiles reportedly landed in uninhabited areas, while Jordanian defenses also intercepted four Iranian drones.
Videos recorded from the nearby Israeli city of Eilat showed smoke rising over the area.
Iran has avoided directly attacking Israel since hostilities resumed, apparently seeking to prevent Israel from formally reentering the conflict. However, the attack near Eilat raised fresh concerns about a broader regional confrontation.
A missile alert was also activated in Bahrain. Saudi authorities instructed residents of Dammam, a city on the Persian Gulf, to seek shelter before later announcing that the danger had passed.
US Completes 11th Night of Strikes
The U.S. military said it completed an 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran. The latest targets included aircraft hangars and drone-storage facilities.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported explosions in several provinces. The Iranian Health Ministry said American strikes during the previous 11 days killed 53 people—including six women and three children—and wounded nearly 600.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said its retaliatory operations would continue.
Diplomacy Remains Stalled
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni recently visited Pakistan, which has served as a mediator, in an attempt to revive diplomatic efforts.
No clear new proposal for ending the conflict emerged from the visit.
Iranian Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeinivand said “diplomacy isn’t called off” and that messages continued to be exchanged.
Trump, however, offered a pessimistic assessment Tuesday, saying the United States had “no interest in meeting.”
Rubio Warns Against Iranian Control of Hormuz
At a regional summit in the Philippines, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that allowing Iran to control and impose fees on an international waterway would establish a dangerous global precedent.
“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” Rubio said.
The United States has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s actions.
Pickaxe Mountain Nuclear Site Could Become a Target
Trump also indicated that U.S. forces could attack an Iranian nuclear facility under construction beneath a mountain.
The facility, known as Pickaxe Mountain, is located near Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment complex. The United States bombed Natanz during the 2025 conflict between Iran and Israel, but the underground construction site was not hit.
Iran says its nuclear activities are peaceful. Tehran has nevertheless resumed enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels since Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement during his first term.
American officials and other governments maintain that Iran operated a nuclear weapons program until 2003 and could revive it in the future.
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