Trump warns of targeting Iranian bridges and power plants after Hormuz attacks, as cost of US war reaches $37.5 billion
tehran: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant in retaliation for each attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that he is “not ending” a war that has already cost Washington $37.5 billion.
Fighting over the strait led to the collapse of an initial agreement between the United States and Iran, and Tehran has reimposed its blockade on the strategic conduit for oil and gas shipments, and has fired on transiting ships.
The blockade has roiled markets and sent oil prices soaring, increasing pressure on Trump to defuse a conflict that has hit Americans’ pocketbooks in the closely contested midterm elections.
“Whenever the Islamic Republic of Iran attacks a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, whether with a missile, rocket, drone or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy a bridge or power plant,” Trump wrote on social media.
But top US diplomat Marco Rubio said Washington was still willing to reach a negotiated settlement with Tehran.
“We are ready to resolve this through dialogue. But right now, they don’t seem to be serious about it,” Rubio said at a meeting of Southeast Asia ministers in Manila.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei earlier said diplomatic exchanges were continuing with Washington through mediators.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that a US missile struck Larak island in the strait on Wednesday afternoon, adding that the extent of the damage was being investigated.
Trump has faced intense political pressure to end the conflict, which is unpopular even in sectors of his political base as it nears its five-month mark.
Critics have pointed to the cost, which Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would rise to $37.5 billion as he defended his request for tens of billions in additional funding for the military.
But Trump himself has so far kept up the pressure, saying on Tuesday: “We’re not finished at all… We’re not leaving yet.”
pickaxe mountain
The US military said it carried out strikes against Iran for the eleventh consecutive night, saying it targeted military sites to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Trump had previously said the next US target could be an underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain or Kolang in Persian, a site near Natanz where Western intelligence agencies suspect Iran is building an undeclared nuclear enrichment facility.
Iran threatened to retaliate, with the Khatam al-Anbiya military command saying it would “consider it an escalation of war” if such an attack was carried out, the state broadcaster reported, threatening attacks on “all US interests, allies and supporters”.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bakai stressed that “Washington’s obsessive focus on Kolang Kouh, where no nuclear activity is taking place, is nothing more than a fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction and sabotage”.
Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, told the BBC in reference to Iran that inspectors “should already be there”, adding that it is vital that the IAEA investigate Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
missiles stopped
The threats came as Tehran stepped up its attacks on targets in the US-allied Gulf states.
Kuwait’s military said its air defenses had shot down Iranian drones, while Jordan said it had shot down four Iranian missiles and four drones.
Air alert sirens were also sounded in Bahrain, and an AFP correspondent in Manama heard the sound of the explosion.
The Iranian military said it targeted US assets, including air defense systems, radar installations and administrative buildings in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said they had targeted US bases in Jordan.
After Tehran’s Houthi allies in Yemen threatened to block Saudi ports, Trump said he would “take care” of the rebels if they did so.
It is unclear how the Houthis would enforce such a blockade, but it would only exacerbate the effects of the Hormuz closure.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose above $95 a barrel for the first time in six weeks on Wednesday, but pared some gains.
The Houthis have not yet resumed their attacks on shipping, but maritime intelligence provider Vanguard Tech said both the Singapore-flagged tanker and the Liberian-flagged tanker went “the other way” in the Red Sea after loading crude oil at the Saudi port of Yanbu.
If the Houthis follow through on the threat, they could jeopardize Riyadh’s ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for some oil exports, which could have a major impact on the global economy.
During the Gaza War, which began in October 2023, Yemeni rebels attacked shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, forcing ships to take a long detour around Africa and prompting a US bombing campaign.
