U.S. President Donald Trump has once again issued a stern warning to Iran, threatening to expand U.S. military strikes next week to target the country’s power plants and bridges unless Tehran agrees to return to the negotiating table.
The threat comes amid the continuing deadlock over the management of the Strait of Hormuz. The development was reported by The Guardian on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
According to The Guardian, Trump made the remarks during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.
“Next week is going to be very bad for them because next week it’s the power plants. Next week it’s the bridges. We will destroy all of their power plants. We will destroy all of their bridges unless they come to the table and negotiate,” Trump said, as quoted in the report.
Trump reportedly made a similar threat in March, when he warned that he would “destroy” Iran’s power plants and clean water facilities if Tehran failed to accept his proposed peace terms.
The destruction of civilian infrastructure such as electricity and water facilities is reportedly considered a violation of international humanitarian law and could potentially be classified as a war crime.
Trump’s latest remarks reportedly came as U.S. forces entered their fourth consecutive day of military operations against Iran while reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were intended to “degrade Iran’s capabilities used to attack commercial vessels” in the strategic waterway.
Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on Qeshm Island in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, and at several other locations.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA later reported that Iranian forces had launched drone strikes targeting a military base in Jordan that hosts U.S. military aircraft.
Iran Blockade Continues as Trump Drops Strait of Hormuz Transit Fee Plan
The situation has also been marked by a sudden shift in Trump’s position regarding a proposed transit fee for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump had reportedly planned to require ships to pay a 20 percent security fee to the United States for passage through the strait. However, he canceled the plan just five hours before it was scheduled to take effect.
He reportedly replaced the proposal with what he described as an investment and trade agreement with the Arab Gulf states.
Trump said the decision was made “based on very productive conversations with Middle Eastern leadership,” while emphasizing that the United States would continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Washington’s decision to renew the blockade “has, in its own way, already undermined the Islamabad memorandum,” referring to the June 17 memorandum of understanding that had been intended to serve as the foundation for a ceasefire between the two sides.
The fragile ceasefire has reportedly all but collapsed, with attention now shifting to the struggle for control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The previous three days of exchanges involving U.S. strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks against U.S. allies in the Middle East were reportedly the most intense in recent weeks and risk drawing the region back into a full-scale conflict.
When asked how long the U.S. military campaign would continue, Trump replied:
“It will continue until I say enough.”
