WASHINGTON — President Trump announced a new red line against Iran Wednesday, vowing to obliterate critical civilian infrastructure in the Islamic Republic for every attack against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump proclaimed on Truth Social.
Iran has resorted to unleashing mayhem in the strait, through which around one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies flowed before the launch of Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28.
Trump has largely refrained from deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure in Iran, though he threatened in April that “a whole civilization will die” if the regime failed to agree to a cease-fire.
Ultimately, Iran agreed to a temporary deal, which Trump has since declared “over” following ongoing attacks on shipping.
On July 7, Iran again struck at commercial vessels, badly damaging a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker and hitting a British vessel. That was the last straw for Trump, who ordered dozens of strikes against Iran in response.
Tuesday evening marked the 11th straight day of strikes on Iran, with attacks hitting operation centers, military infrastructure, drone facilities and more.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the war in Iran:
- Trump vows to destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant for every shot Tehran takes at Strait of Hormuz shipping
- Rubio says US remains open to Iran talks but warns there ‘will be consequences’
- Fourth soldier believed to be killed in Iran attack ID’d as New Yorker – as US launches latest rounds of strikes
- Trump warns Iran of much greater destruction if war continues: ‘They haven’t seen anything yet’
Iran has responded with attacks on US outposts that killed four soldiers over the weekend.
Trump’s Wednesday threat came ahead of his trip to Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer of four American service members who were killed by Iran.
Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have threatened to blockade another chokepoint, the Bab al-Mandeb strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
On Tuesday, Trump pledged to attack Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz, 120 miles south of Tehran.
“We’ll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon, and there’s not a thing they can do about it,” he told reporters.
“Normally I wouldn’t say that; if I thought they could do something about it I would never say that, but we’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily.”
