US threatens to 'destroy' Iran's bridges and power plants

US President Donald Trump threatened to knock out one Iranian bridge or power plant in return for each attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, warning he was "not finished" with a war that has already cost Washington $37.5 billion (€32.8).

Fighting over the strait led to the collapse of a preliminary deal between the United States and Iran, and Tehran has reimposed its blockade on the strategic conduit for oil and gas shipments, firing on vessels that seek to transit.

The blockade has rattled markets and sent oil prices climbing, adding to the pressure on Mr Trump to find an off-ramp to a conflict that has hit Americans' pocketbooks heading into closely-fought midterm elections.

"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," Mr Trump wrote on social media, reiterating his longstanding threat to go after Iranian infrastructure.

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio maintained Washington is still willing to find a negotiated agreement with Tehran.

"We remain open to working it out in a negotiated way. But right now, they don't seem to be serious about that," Mr Rubio said at a Southeast Asia ministers' meeting in Manila.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei had previously said that diplomatic exchanges with Washington through mediators were continuing.

This afternoon, a US missile hit Larak island in the strait, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported, saying the extent of the damage was being investigated.

Mr Trump has faced intense political pressure to end the conflict, which is unpopular even with segments of his political base as it nears its five-month mark.

Critics have pointed to the cost, which Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said yesterday had soared to $37.5 billion, defending a request for tens of billions in additional funding for the military.

Mr Trump himself has so far bucked the pressure, saying: "We're not finished at all... we're not leaving right now."

The US military said it had launched an eleventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran, saying it targeted military sites to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz".

Mr Trump had said earlier that the next US target could be an underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain, or Kolang in Persian, a site near Natanz where Western intelligence agencies suspect Iran is building an undeclared nuclear enrichment facility.

Iran threatened reprisals, with the Khatam Al-Anbiya military command saying it would "consider it as an expansion of war" if such an attack were carried out, threatening strikes on "all the interests of America, the allies and supporters", the state broadcaster reported.

Foreign ministry spokesman Baqaei, meanwhile, insisted that "Washington's obsessive focus on Kolang Kouh where no nuclear activity is taking place is nothing more than a fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction, and sabotage".

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, told the BBC that inspectors "should be there already" in reference to Iran, saying it was important that the IAEA check on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

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Four tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea, a day after three others had done so, following threats to block Saudi shipping from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who control the coast on the southern route out.

With Iran already threatening shipping out of the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, millions of barrels of Saudi oil per day are heading to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu instead.

The northern route out via the Suez Canal adds weeks to the shipments.

US attacks on Iran have expanded from the south in recent days to include central and western areas, while Tehran has hit vital water desalination and energy plants in Kuwait and says it has targeted US military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

"The problem we're having right now is that they're not serious about talks. If they're serious, we're serious. If they're not, then we will do what's necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies," Mr Rubio said at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila.

Iran has insisted on maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz that it established during the war launched by the US and Israel on 28 February.

Mr Rubio said such control would be dangerous for the world, including Southeast Asia, where many countries have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

President Trump confirmed that 18 US service members had been killed so far in the war, including four in Iranian attacks on US military bases in Jordan and Iraq over the last few days.

He said the Houthis, who threatened in a letter to shippers yesterday to attack any ships that load or discharge Saudi oil, had not yet shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait leading into the Red Sea, and threatened to act against them if they did.

A full closure of that alternative route by the Houthis could further reduce global oil supply as it would leave most Saudi oil exports trapped.

Mr Trump renewed his threats to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities buried in a mountain at Natanz again "pretty soon". After the US bombed the facility in June 2025, he said they had been "totally obliterated".

Missiles intercepted

The threats came as Tehran pressed its assault on targets in US-allied Gulf states.

Kuwait's army said its air defences were engaging drones from Iran, while Jordan said it had shot down four Iranian missiles and four drones.

Air alert sirens also sounded in Bahrain, with an AFP correspondent in Manama hearing an explosion.

The Iranian military said it targeted US assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defence systems, radar installations and administrative buildings.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards also said they had targeted US bases in Jordan.

After Tehran's Houthi allies in Yemen threatened to blockade Saudi ports, Mr Trump said he would "take care of" the rebels if they followed through.

It remains unclear how the Houthis would enforce such a blockade, but it would only compound the effects of the Hormuz closure.

Brent Crude, the global benchmark, briefly topped $95 a barrel for the first time in six weeks, but shed some of the gains.

The Houthis are yet to resume their attacks on shipping, but maritime intelligence provider Vanguard Tech said a Singapore-flagged tanker and a Liberia-flagged tanker both "reversed course" in the Red Sea after loading crude at the Saudi port of Yanbu.

If the Houthis make good on the threat, they could endanger Riyadh's ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for some oil exports, with major repercussions for the global economy.

During the Gaza war that began in October 2023, the Yemeni rebels attacked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, forcing vessels to make a long detour around Africa and prompting a US bombing campaign.