President Donald Trump (R-FL) warned Wednesday that the U.S. will bomb Iranian bridges and power plants in response to attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The threat escalates a volatile maritime conflict that risks disrupting global energy shipments and expanding the scope of direct military engagement between Washington and Tehran.
Trump said that for every ship Iran strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. will bomb a bridge or a power plant in Iran [1]. The president delivered the warning via a social media post on X and during a speech in Georgia [1, 2].
This development comes on day 145 of the conflict between the U.S. and Iran [3]. The U.S. military also recently completed its 11th night of strikes as part of the ongoing operations [4].
Iranian officials reacted to the threat. A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Iran will respond with an "eye for an eye" if the United States follows through on these threats [4].
International observers have called for restraint amid the rising tension. David Miliband said the parties must stay calm and avoid any further escalation [5].
The U.S. strategy aims to deter Iran from targeting commercial vessels in the narrow waterway, which serves as a critical chokepoint for the world's oil supply. By targeting infrastructure like power plants and bridges, the administration is signaling a willingness to strike inland targets to protect maritime trade [1, 4].
“"For every ship that Iran strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, we will bomb a bridge or a power plant in Iran."”
The shift toward a proportional retaliation strategy—specifically targeting civilian and strategic infrastructure—marks a departure from purely defensive maritime operations. By establishing a direct one-to-one ratio of retaliation, the U.S. is attempting to create a predictable cost for Iranian aggression, though this may incentivize Iran to target non-commercial assets to avoid the specified trigger.
