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U.S. President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that the United States would retaliate against any Iranian attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz by destroying a bridge or power plant inside Iran.
"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," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The warning applies to attacks on ships carried out by missiles, rockets, drones or "any other device or weapon," he added.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted amid escalating military exchanges between Washington and Tehran since early July, effectively suspending the Pakistan-brokered framework deal signed in June.
The fighting reignited after Iranian forces attacked commercial vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz via the Omani route, which Tehran had declared unauthorized and warned ships not to use.
Vessel traffic through the strategic waterway has fallen sharply in recent days, with just nine verified transits recorded on Wednesday.
U.S. military campaign against Iran continued on Tuesday after an 11th consecutive night of strikes, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The strikes targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities and military logistics infrastructure.
The Pentagon also said U.S. forces have helped facilitate the safe passage of about 900 commercial vessels carrying roughly 450 million barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz since early May despite the conflict.
The fighting has increasingly expanded beyond military targets to critical infrastructure. Last week, U.S. strikes hit several bridges in southern Iran, the Bandar Khamir railway station and an airport in Iranshahr, while Iranian authorities said at least five bridges were damaged and reported civilian casualties.
Iran responded by targeting infrastructure in neighboring Gulf states, striking a power and desalination plant in Kuwait while also launching drones and missiles toward U.S. military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
On Wednesday, Tehran said it had targeted the Prince Hassan Air Base and the King Faisal Air Base in Jordan, claiming to have struck facilities supporting F-15 fighter jets and MQ-9 drones.
The latest confirmed American losses stand at four service members killed in separate incidents in Jordan and Iraq last week, bringing the U.S. military death toll since the war began in February to 18.
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