Trump Threatens to Destroy Power Plant-Bridge If Iran Attacks Ships in Strait of Hormuz
JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump said the United States would bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran targeted a ship crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
"From now on, whenever the Islamic Republic of Iran fires at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz - whether using missiles, rockets, drones, or other devices or weapons - the United States will bomb and destroy ONE SHIP OR POWER PLANT, including those located near or within the capital Tehran," Trump wrote on Truth Social as reported by CNN, Wednesday, July 22.
Trump has previously threatened to target Iran's civilian infrastructure - an act that could be considered a war crime - in an interview with Fox News last week, when he said the US would cripple all bridges (Iran) unless they were willing to sit at the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Ministry of Health reported 53 people were killed in the US attack on Iran since July 6, amid increased violence in the region this month.
Nearly 600 others were injured in Iran, Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported on Wednesday, July 22.
Washington stepped up its attacks on Iran earlier this month after Tehran attacked a number of commercial vessels along the Strait of Hormuz - a vital waterway that has become a bargaining chip in the tense negotiations between the warring parties.
The Pentagon said over the weekend that at least three US military personnel were killed in Iranian attacks in the region. The US also found an unidentified body in Jordan after a military personnel was previously declared missing in action.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) retaliated for the US attack by targeting US military equipment at two Jordanian bases.
The IRGC said the King Faisal Base in Ma'an Governorate and Prince Hassan Base in Mafraq Governorate were attacked using missiles and drones in response to US air and missile attacks on Iran.
As reported by CNN, Wednesday, July 22, the IRGC claimed to target facilities that prepare F-15 jets, MQ-9 drones, and US helicopters. There is no evidence to support Iran's claim.