Trump Threatens to Bomb Power Plant, Iran Claims US Secretary of State to Ask for Negotiations

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio/DOK FOTO via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims Iran is begging for negotiations after President Donald Trump threatened to bomb power plants to bridges if Iran attacked ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran is begging us, both directly and indirectly, 'let's make a deal, let's negotiate'. Let's negotiate," Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Manila, reported by CNN, Thursday, July 23.

Rubio said that whenever the US and Iran agree to a ceasefire, the authorities in Tehran violate it or want to change it.

"So, they will continue to bear the consequences, and every night, the price they have to pay will become higher and higher," he said.

"Right now, it seems they are not yet aware, so the president does not see much benefit in responding to their outreach efforts for now. Because frankly, Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal - at least, not a deal they are willing to abide by," Rubio continued.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, recently described his country's defense doctrine as a principle of "an eye for an eye."

"Any aggression against Iran, including against our infrastructure, will trigger a strong and decisive response," Araghchi said via the X platform on Wednesday night.

Trump previously said the United States would bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran targeted a vessel 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, 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.

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.