Trump: Bridge or Power Plant in Exchange for Each Iranian-Targeted Ship

Washington – Agencies: U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States would respond militarily to any Iranian targeting of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any attack using a missile, drone, or any other means would be met with a U.S. airstrike on a vital facility inside Iran. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Washington would “bomb and destroy one bridge or one power plant” if Iran fired on any vessel in the strait, noting that targets could include facilities near or within the capital, Tehran. He added, “From now on, whenever the Islamic Republic of Iran fires on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether by missile, drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or one power plant.”

This comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized yesterday that Iran is in a dire predicament, affirming that President Trump has many options if Tehran does not cooperate. Rubio made these remarks to journalists following his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Manila, which lasted about 90 minutes, according to Reuters. Rubio added that Iran had not complied with its commitments under the memorandum of understanding, explaining that “opening the Strait of Hormuz was a key provision of the memorandum, but Iran violated it.” He said Iran was targeting international navigation through an international waterway, noting that Tehran had signed the memorandum of understanding, which stipulates that ships would not be targeted.

It is recalled that the temporary agreement reached last month to end the war between the United States and Iran collapsed on July 7, when Tehran targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the United States to respond with airstrikes on Iran.