Trump Threatens To Destroy ‘One Bridge Or Power Plant’ In Iran If It Shoots At Ships In Hormuz
President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. would bomb a bridge or power plant each time Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz moving forward, escalating his rhetoric against Iran as the war as a prolonged conflict seems increasingly likely.
Trump said on Truth Social, “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, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran.”
Trump echoed earlier statements from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the U.S. has tried to negotiate in good faith with Iran “now for a year and a half,” but we’re also not going to sit by and let ships be blown up or Americans be attacked.”
Rubio left open the possibility to restart negotiations, but said, “the problem we’re having right now is that they’re not serious about talks . . . if they’re serious, we’re serious.”
Trump’s threat comes after U.S. Central Command said Tuesday night it had completed its 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting military infrastructure and weapons storage facilities.
Central Command said Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months, insisting that despite the attacks, the strait “remains open for commercial vessel transit.”
Trump warned Tuesday the U.S. could bomb Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected nuclear facility near the site of Tehran’s primary uranium enrichment facility, Natanz, which the U.S. bombed in the June 2025 strikes against Iran. Trump said Tuesday, “we’ll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon . . . and very heavily,” repeating threats he’s made recently against Pickaxe Mountain. Trump made the comments after the Wall Street Journal reported earlier Tuesday that Israel has provided the U.S. with intelligence suggesting Iran has moved centrifuges to the site.
The war has no end in sight as disagreement over control of the Strait of Hormuz—which was an open international waterway prior to the start of the conflict—has repeatedly derailed negotiations. A memorandum of understanding reached between the two sides in June has largely unraveled after Iran refused to allow ships to freely transit the strait, which the U.S. said was a violation of the agreement. The war showed signs of widening this week when Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen announced a blockade of Saudi ships and threatened to fire on vessels passing through the southern end of the Red Sea, prompting Trump to threaten the group. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is seeking an additional $67 billion in immediate additional funding for the war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress on Tuesday, estimating the war has cost $37.5 billion total.
“Americans aren’t against the war,” Trump insisted while talking to reporters Wednesday. “Americans don’t want high gasoline prices, but they’re not against the war. That just came out loud and clear in a poll.” It’s unclear what poll Trump is referring to—but a Politico survey released Wednesday found less than half of those who identify as MAGA believe the war is worth its economic costs, down 13 percentage points since May. One-fifth say the U.S. should end the war, regardless of the costs.