US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to strike Iranian infrastructure every time Tehran targets commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, in a sharp escalation of US rhetoric.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump warned that any Iranian attack would trigger US strikes on bridges or power plants, including in the capital Tehran.
“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,” Mr Trump wrote.
Meanwhile, a military source quoted by Iran's Tasnim news agency warned that Tehran would strike regional infrastructure and energy facilities if the US carried out Mr Trump's threat.
“Iran has a steely will in exercising sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and will never allow the waterway to become a source of threats against the country,” the source said.
Mr Trump's threat followed the 11th consecutive night of US air strikes on Iran, as diplomatic efforts to restore a ceasefire have largely stalled.
The warning echoed remarks Mr Trump made in April, when he threatened to destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure, such as power plants and bridges. At the time, he argued that many Iranians would welcome such action if it led to the fall of the hardline regime in Tehran.
He ultimately stepped back from those threats and instead agreed to extend the ceasefire to allow negotiations to continue.
Mr Trump has sought to end the war he launched alongside Israel on February 28, but has struggled to dictate its outcome. Tehran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has become one of its strongest sources of leverage in the conflict.
Speaking from Manila, where he was attending a South-east Asian conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said Washington's immediate priority was ensuring freedom of navigation through the strait.
He also expressed scepticism about the prospect of diplomacy. “We remain open to diplomacy. We remain open to working it out in a negotiated way. But right now, they don't seem to be serious about that,” he said of the Iranians.
The lack of progress towards ending the war is likely to weigh on Mr Trump and his Republican party ahead of this year's midterm elections, when control of the Senate will be at stake.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump travelled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to attend the dignified transfer of four US service members killed in recent attacks. Three were killed in an Iranian strike in Jordan and one in a drone attack in Iraq.
The deaths underscore the political challenge facing Mr Trump. He campaigned on ending costly foreign conflicts and keeping American troops out of overseas wars.
“We’re going to Dover … to honour our heroes and they’re indeed great heroes. All of them said, very strongly, that we can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon, so we’re going to honour them,” he told journalists. “For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as president, but it has to be done.”
