President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States would target Iran’s power plants and bridges next week if Tehran does not return to the negotiating table, as US strikes on Iranian territory continued for a fourth consecutive night.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the US would keep hitting Iran hard on consecutive nights before shifting to energy and infrastructure targets, saying he was saving those for last but would ultimately strike them. He said Washington’s core objectives — keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon — had largely been achieved, claiming it would take Iran roughly 20 years to rebuild what has already been destroyed, though he acknowledged Tehran retains some capacity to keep fighting.
Trump also reversed an earlier plan to impose a 20% fee on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf states would instead make substantial investment and trade commitments to the US. The US reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports, a measure it had also enforced between April and June under the terms of last month’s now-collapsed memorandum of understanding.
The threats are not new: Trump made similar warnings about Iranian energy infrastructure earlier in the year, at one point designating April 7 as “plant day.” Legal experts note that strikes on civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges could raise war crimes concerns, though the administration maintains it is targeting only sites with military utility.
The exchange of strikes has widened regionally, with Kuwait and Bahrain reporting they intercepted Iranian drones and missiles overnight, and Iranian state media claiming attacks on US-linked targets in Jordan. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has accused Washington of violating the memorandum’s terms, while Iranian military spokesperson Ibrahim al-Fiqar warned of a devastating response if the US strikes a suspected nuclear-linked mountain facility Trump referred to as “Pickaxe Mountain.”
The US Congress passed a war powers resolution last month aiming to limit Trump’s authority to continue military action against Iran without further approval; the administration has argued it is acting under presidential constitutional authority. Trump has notified Congress that a 60-day clock has begun since strikes resumed, and is set to deliver a primetime address on the conflict Thursday.
