President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to bomb Iranian bridges or power plants, including in Tehran, each time Iran attacks a ship 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 wrote on Truth Social.
U.S. Central Command said Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels over the past three months.
The U.S. has already bombed bridges in southern Iran over the last 11 days of fighting, and targeting power plants or strikes in Tehran would mark another escalation.
"So far, it hasn't happened, might happen, but we take care of things," Trump said in the Oval Office when asked about Houthi threats to impose a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia Monday, after Saudi forces struck Sanaa International Airport.
A pair of tankers carrying Saudi crude reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after the Houthis announced a maritime embargo, turning toward the Suez Canal instead of transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; the vessels had been headed for China and India.
Nearly 15% of global seaborne trade passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and together the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz normally carry roughly one-third of global seaborne oil trade, U.S. Energy Information Administration data show.
Bridget Toomey, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said, "A direct air connection between Tehran and Sanaa would be a serious threat, not just to the international community, but also to Saudi Arabia."
An unidentified military source quoted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Tasnim news agency said, "Iran will not abandon its firm determination to control the strait, which it considers essential to the strait's long-term security. If the Americans target an Iranian bridge or power plant, Iran will respond by striking infrastructure and bridges across the region, including energy facilities in which the United States has interests."
Trump has made stopping attacks on ships and reopening the Strait of Hormuz a key condition for a ceasefire.