Trump says US will destroy a bridge or power plant for each Iranian attack in Strait of Hormuz
By Saqib S. Qureshi I SCN
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States will destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating threats against Tehran as the conflict disrupts one of the world’s most important energy routes.
Trump announced the proposed retaliation policy on social media on Wednesday, saying it would apply whenever Iran targeted a vessel using a missile, rocket, drone or another weapon. He said potential targets could include infrastructure in or around Tehran.
“Any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship,” the United States would destroy “one bridge or power plant,” Trump wrote.
The president did not identify specific installations that could be attacked or explain whether US forces had already selected potential targets.
His warning followed another wave of American strikes on Iran and reports that Iranian air defences had opened fire over Tehran. Trump had also said a day earlier that Washington had little interest in meeting Iranian officials, signalling that immediate diplomatic progress remained unlikely.
Iranian authorities responded by warning that attacks on the country’s infrastructure would bring reciprocal retaliation. Iranian officials have previously threatened to target infrastructure connected to the United States and its regional partners if Washington expands its campaign.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a vital passage for oil and liquefied natural gas exports. Fighting and attacks on vessels have sharply reduced shipping through the waterway, increasing fears about global energy supplies and transport costs.
Oil prices rose following the latest escalation. Brent crude briefly moved above $95 a barrel on Wednesday as traders assessed the risk of further attacks, shipping disruption and possible strikes against energy infrastructure.
US and Iran intensify attacks
The threat comes during an expanding US military campaign against Iranian targets. American forces have carried out repeated strikes on missile sites, air-defence systems and other military facilities, while Iran has continued launching missiles and drones against US and allied interests in the region.
Trump has threatened Iranian infrastructure before. Earlier in the conflict, he warned that power stations and bridges could be attacked unless Tehran reopened the strait or returned to negotiations. His latest announcement goes further by linking each attack on shipping to a specific retaliatory strike.
The president has also raised the possibility of striking a deeply buried Iranian nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain, further increasing fears that the military campaign could expand beyond its existing targets.
Iran says its military actions are a response to attacks by the United States and its allies. Tehran has maintained that it will answer strikes against its territory and has warned that attacks on essential infrastructure could widen the conflict across the region.
Concerns over civilian infrastructure
Trump’s threat is likely to intensify scrutiny of the US targeting strategy because bridges and power plants frequently serve civilian populations as well as military operations.
International humanitarian law generally protects civilian infrastructure from deliberate attack. A facility can lose that protection when its location, purpose or use makes an effective contribution to military action, but an attack must still satisfy requirements including distinction and proportionality.
Critics have warned that disabling electricity or transport systems could affect hospitals, water supplies, communications and other services needed by civilians.
The legal assessment of any attack would depend on the function of the individual target, the military advantage anticipated and the expected risk to civilians. Trump’s public statement did not distinguish between infrastructure being used for military purposes and facilities primarily serving civilian communities.
The threat also follows reports that both sides have increasingly attacked infrastructure as diplomacy has stalled. United Nations officials and international organisations have called for restraint and warned that attacks affecting civilian services could deepen the humanitarian and economic consequences of the war.
Why it matters
A fixed retaliation policy could make further escalation more likely. Under Trump’s warning, even an unsuccessful Iranian attempt to hit a vessel could lead to a US strike against major infrastructure.
The policy could also create uncertainty over how Washington would attribute attacks, particularly when drones, missiles or allied armed groups are involved.
Any expansion of strikes against power or transport networks could prompt Iran to target similar infrastructure elsewhere in the Gulf. That would place US forces and regional countries at greater risk while adding pressure to oil prices, shipping insurance and global inflation.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the dispute. A prolonged reduction in traffic through the passage would affect major exporters including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, not only Iran.
What happens next
Attention will now focus on whether Iran launches another attack against shipping and whether Trump follows through on his one-for-one threat.
US officials are also likely to face questions about how targets would be selected, what legal authority supports the campaign and whether attacks on infrastructure would advance a clearly defined military or diplomatic objective.
Iran’s warning of reciprocal action means any US strike against a bridge or power plant could trigger another round of retaliation, making an already dangerous conflict more difficult to contain.
Most Unique Fact
Trump’s warning creates an explicit one-for-one formula: every Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz would be answered by the destruction of one Iranian bridge or power plant.