Trump threatens to hit Iran’s power plants, bridges next week

President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the United States would target Iran's power plants and bridges as early as next week unless Tehran returns to the negotiating table, as U.S. forces reimposed a naval blockade on all Iranian ports and carried out a fourth consecutive night of airstrikes against Iranian military positions.

"Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges," Trump said in a Fox News interview on Tuesday. "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."aa+1

Blockade and Strikes Resume

The U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center confirmed that the blockade took effect at 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, encompassing the entirety of Iran's coastline, ports, and oil terminals. All vessel traffic, regardless of flag, is subject to interception and diversion, with non-compliant vessels facing the use of force, according to the Navy statement. Transit through the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian destinations will not be impeded, and humanitarian shipments remain permitted subject to inspection.axios+1

The reimposition follows a buildup of more than 20 warships, including two aircraft carriers — the USS Abraham Lincoln ↗ 0.17% and the USS George H.W. Bush — that entered the Gulf of Oman in recent days. U.S. Central Command has struck more than 300 Iranian military targets over three nights of strikes earlier this month, hitting air defense systems, missile and drone sites, and naval capabilities along Iran's coastline.centcom+1

Trump initially proposed charging a 20 percent fee on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz but reversed course on Tuesday, saying he would instead pursue investment deals with Gulf states. "I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals," Trump wrote on Truth Social.reuters

Iran Retaliates Across the Region

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded with ballistic missile strikes on a U.S. air base in Jordan on Tuesday, according to an IRGC statement reported by Iranian state media. Jordan's military said it intercepted four missiles that entered Jordanian airspace, with no casualties reported. The IRGC called on Jordanians to demand the removal of American military bases from their country.middleeastmonitor+1

The escalation follows weeks of tit-for-tat attacks that have effectively ended the conditional ceasefire memorandum of understanding signed on June 17. Trump declared the ceasefire over on July 8, and the two sides have been exchanging fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz since, with Iran continuing to target commercial vessels and the U.S. responding with nightly strikes.wikipedia+3

A Familiar Threat, Higher Stakes

Trump's threat to strike civilian infrastructure echoes an earlier ultimatum in April, when he warned that "every bridge in Iran will be decimated" and "every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again" unless Tehran opened the Strait of Hormuz. That threat prompted warnings about potential war crimes but was not carried out after a ceasefire was eventually reached.virginiabusiness

Iran's power generation relies overwhelmingly on natural gas-fired plants, which produce roughly 86 percent of the country's electricity, with the Bushehr nuclear facility contributing about two percent. Trump told Fox News that Iran's military has been "degraded to a very low level" and that strikes would continue "until I say it's enough."aljazeera+1