Trump threatens to bomb power plants, bridges if Iran continues to harass ships in Strait of Hormuz
by Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesPresident Trump on Wednesday threatened to ramp up attacks on Iran’s infrastructure if the regime continues to shoot at commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr. Trump’s warning on social media signals he is ready to follow through on earlier threats to take U.S. strikes to a new level.
“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 on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump is hoping to force Tehran to the negotiating table to settle the war and thwart Iran’s hopes for a nuclear weapon.
The administration says it is open to diplomacy but is waiting for the Iranians to show they are serious about negotiating.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling in Asia, said Wednesday the U.S. is “not going to sit by and let ships be blown up, or Americans be attacked.”
SEE ALSO: Iran denies nuclear activity at ‘Pickaxe Mountain’ after Trump’s threats
Iran insists that a recent first-stage peace deal gave it some control over oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway at the heart of the conflict.
Tehran has also accused the U.S. side of committing war crimes by striking its infrastructure.
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U.S. Central Command said it completed an 11th round of strikes late Tuesday aimed at destroying Iran’s ability to harass ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Over the past three months, Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the international waterway vital for regional and global trade,” CENTCOM said. “The unwarranted attacks have endangered hundreds of innocent mariners and undermined freedom of navigation.”
Eighteen U.S. service members have been killed in the Iran conflict.
Mr. Trump is traveling to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday to watch the dignified transfer of the remains of four soldiers.
Two soldiers — 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas — died during Iranian attacks in Jordan over the weekend.
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The Pentagon recently announced that a third soldier – Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of New York – also died in the incident.
The fourth — Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina — was killed by debris during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq.
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Tom Howell Jr.
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