United States President Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s bridges and power plants could be targeted next week if Tehran refuses to return to the negotiating table, marking a sharp escalation in the war of words between the two countries.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News aired on Tuesday, Trump said Iran faced severe consequences if it continued to reject negotiations.
“Next week it gets really bad for them,” he said. “We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”
Trump also indicated that Iran’s energy infrastructure could eventually become a target.
“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” he said.
The warning came as U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged attacks for a fourth consecutive day, deepening fears of a broader regional conflict.
The renewed threat followed Washington’s decision to restore its naval blockade of Iranian ports, hours after Trump abandoned a controversial proposal to impose a 20% fee on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Instead, the U.S. president said his administration would pursue large-scale trade and investment agreements with Gulf states.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces carried out a seven-hour operation targeting dozens of Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz, describing the strikes as part of efforts to weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.
Iran’s military said at least seven soldiers were killed in overnight attacks on a base in the southeastern city of Bampur.
Tehran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at U.S. military positions in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, according to Iranian state television.
Military authorities in Kuwait said they intercepted Iranian drones, while Bahrain reported destroying incoming aerial threats before they reached their targets.
The U.S. also accused Iran of attacking seven commercial vessels over the past week, saying the incidents left nearly a dozen civilian crew members dead, injured or missing.
The United Arab Emirates earlier confirmed that Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers, killing an Indian sailor and injuring eight others.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later claimed responsibility, saying the vessels ignored repeated warnings, switched off their navigation systems and attempted to sail through what it described as a mined route.
Separately, the family of an Indian sailor who went missing after a ship attack off the coast of Oman confirmed on Wednesday that he had been found dead. The remaining 23 crew members were rescued after the vessel was disabled.
The latest military exchanges have sent oil prices higher as commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply.
The strategic waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies normally pass, has become the focal point of the escalating confrontation.
Earlier this week, Trump declared that the United States had become the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and announced plans to restore a naval blockade on Iran, arguing that Washington should not bear the burden of securing the waterway without compensation.
However, he later abandoned his proposal to impose a 20% transit fee on ships using the strait.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the fee would instead be replaced by “massive” trade and investment agreements with Gulf nations.
“I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” he wrote, without providing further details.
He also insisted the strait remained open to all international shipping except Iranian vessels.
Iran dismissed Trump’s latest threats, insisting it would not negotiate under military and economic pressure.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Washington’s decision to restore the naval blockade had effectively undermined the memorandum of understanding reached between both countries in June.
“If the U.S. thinks that by tightening its military actions and economic blockade we will return to negotiations, it is making a mistake,” he said.
The United States initially imposed the naval blockade in April before suspending it in June under a ceasefire agreement.
The renewed blockade, coupled with the dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, has now become one of the biggest flashpoints in the worsening confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
