Lead
President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, stating that the United States will bomb and destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Tehran's forces fire at a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The threat, delivered via a social media post, escalates a conflict that has already seen multiple rounds of US air strikes and Iranian retaliation.
"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, adding that the targets could include infrastructure "located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran."
Coverage Comparison
Reports from Al Jazeera, the Jerusalem Post, South China Morning Post, and TASS — English all confirm the president's threat, though each outlet emphasized different aspects of the story. Al Jazeera framed the development as a "major escalation" in a conflict already "spiralling across the region," while the Jerusalem Post highlighted the US response to Iranian aggression and included supportive commentary from administration officials. The South China Morning Post noted the escalation and reported on US Central Command's operations, while TASS — English focused on Iran's warnings of retaliation.
All four outlets reported Trump's threat, but the Jerusalem Post provided additional context from US officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on Tuesday that "the US remains open and willing to engage in positive, constructive negotiations and talks so long as the commitments that are made are kept." However, he warned that "when those commitments are not kept, which is what's happened in this particular case, then there will be consequences."
Homeland Security Advisor and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, in a Tuesday interview on Fox News, said that "Trump is the only American president who has had the courage, and the foresight, and the willingness to take this threat head on." He added that "the results have been very clear: the regime has been eviscerated militarily, financially, politically—in every possible way."
Key Claims
Trump's threat followed an 11th consecutive night of US air strikes on Iranian targets, as reported by Al Jazeera. The US Central Command said its latest operations targeted Iranian military command centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and logistics infrastructure, according to the South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera. Iranian media reported explosions in several provinces, including near Tabriz in northwestern Iran, an area not previously targeted in the latest round of fighting, and air defences were activated over Tehran.
The warning came hours before Trump was due to attend the return of four US service members killed in Iranian attacks and related operations in Jordan and Iraq, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran responded defiantly to the president's threat. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian armed forces said in a statement, as reported by TASS — English: "If the US delivers on its threats, the armed forces of Iran will not allow a single drop of oil to be exported, while oil, gas, power generation and economic infrastructure in the region will become targets for strikes."
Additionally, Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency cited an Iranian military source as saying that Tehran will retaliate in kind if the country's infrastructure is attacked. "If the Americans target a bridge or power plant in Iran, Iran will reciprocate by hitting infrastructures and bridges in the region, including energy facilities in which the United States has interests," the source said.
The same source noted that passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains safe for ships, but must be coordinated with Iran.
Al Jazeera reported that Trump had previously threatened to bomb Iran's bridges and power stations, but Wednesday's statement is more specific than his earlier threats.