Trump Threatens to Destroy Iranian Power Plants and Bridges Next Week

Escalating Iran tensions have seen US President Donald Trump threaten to destroy all of Iran's power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran agrees to negotiations, as the US conducted fresh strikes on Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iran retaliated by attacking US facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan while closing the strait.

Trump Issues Fresh Ultimatum to Iran

US President Donald Trump stated in an interview with Fox News that next week it gets really bad for Iran because next week the power plants come and next week the bridges come unless they sit down at the table and negotiate. [1] Trump had previously threatened the same actions in early April when he wrote on Truth Social that Tuesday would be power plant day and bridge day all in one in Iran. [1] Days before that statement Trump had said the USA would bomb Iran back to the stone age, which drew strong international reactions. [1] The latest threats from Trump came at the same time as another night of intense attacks in the Middle East. [1] It is contrary to international law to attack targets that are critical for civilians. [1]

Latest US Strikes Target Iranian Coastal and Hormuz Assets

US Central Command reported striking dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along the Iranian coast using aircraft, drones and naval vessels in a seven-hour operation completed at 4 Norwegian time on Wednesday morning to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping. [1] The US military said the operations targeted air defense systems, missile and drone facilities, and naval assets. [3] Iranian authorities report more than 30 civilians killed and over 260 wounded in US strikes over four days, plus seven soldiers killed in an attack on Bampur. [1] Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the island of Qeshm and on Bandar Imam Khomeini. [5] According to state broadcaster IRIB a wheat storage silo in Iran’s southwestern city of Hoveyzeh was also hit by US projectiles. [5] IRNA said projectiles hit an area near Sirik in southern Iran. [5]

Iran Retaliates Against US Bases in Gulf States

Iran's IRGC claimed attacks on US military sites including the Al-Azraq base in Jordan, a facility in Kuwait's Mina Abdullah and Fifth Fleet assets in Bahrain. [2] The IRGC said it had carried out missile strikes against US military facilities in the region including the Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan where it claimed to have targeted hangars housing US F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter aircraft and destroyed several MQ-9 drones. [3] The Guards said they had targeted command-and-control, logistics, fuel and military equipment facilities belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. [2] They also said they had set fire to and destroyed what they described as a US logistics facility in Kuwait's Mina Abdullah and that their air force had struck what they described as a US base at Azraq in Jordan targeting aircraft hangars. [2] Kuwait's state news agency reported that a fire was brought under control at a site targeted in Iranian attacks. [2] Jordan's air defence intercepted and shot down three ballistic missiles that entered the country's airspace from Iranian territory early on Wednesday. [2]

Strait of Hormuz Closure and Shipping Threats Escalate

Iran on its side announced on Monday that it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping traffic. [1] The IRGC said on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the end of America's actions. [1] The IRGC said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the end of America's evils. [5] The IRGC has threatened to close all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies. [2] Regional energy exports are either shared by all or denied to all the IRGC said in a statement carried by Iran's IRNA state news agency on Wednesday. [2] Analysts have said Iran has been signalling it may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea. [2] A senior Houthi official warned on Monday that the group was prepared to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait a move he said could send oil prices soaring to $200 a barrel if Saudi Arabia continued to attack Yemen. [2] The United States said Iran had attacked seven commercial ships over the last week leading to nearly a dozen crew members being killed missing or injured. [2] One of the ships that was hit is the Norwegian-linked chemical tanker Stolt Magnesium. [1]

US Imposes Renewed Blockade and Financial Sanctions

Exactly at 22 Norwegian time on Tuesday evening the US reimposed the blockade against Iranian ports and all vessels that are to or from Iran or that carry Iranian cargo. [1] More than 20 American warships and several hundred military aircraft are now operational in the Middle East according to the US military. [1] President Donald Trump threatened on Monday that the US would demand 20 percent of the value of all cargo transported through the Strait of Hormuz. [1] The fee was to cover the costs of guarding and securing the strait. [1] Already during Tuesday Trump went back on the threat after strong reactions from the countries around the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. [1] The American president announces that the fee is dropped in favor of trade and investment agreements. [1] The United States has imposed sanctions on several cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran’s central bank blocking more than $130 million in digital assets. [3] The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on Tuesday July 14 that it had designated multiple digital wallets associated with the Central Bank of Iran freezing more than $130 million in assets. [3]

Rising Oil Prices and Global Supply Risks

Since the war started virtually all shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has come to a halt. [1] This leads to the transport of oil and gas stopping. [1] When traffic is disrupted oil and gas prices jump sharply which in turn has a major effect on stock markets around the world. [1] Analysis agency Wood Mackenzie expects oil prices of 150 dollars per barrel in the coming weeks provided that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. [1] They also warn that the price could rise to 200 dollars per barrel during 2026. [1] Before the war prices were around 70 dollars per barrel. [1] In addition several producers must reduce production because their stocks are filled up when exports stop. [1] Iraq Qatar and Kuwait are some of the countries that have decided to reduce production of oil and gas. [1] If the situation in the Strait of Hormuz persists there will be 20 percent less oil and gas in the world than we are used to. [1] Asia and Europe are the most vulnerable regions for disruptions in supply and are more dependent on imports of crude oil gas and fuel from the Middle East than other parts of the world. [1] Oil prices rose on Wednesday after closing up 2 percent to a one-month high on Tuesday as the latest attacks deepened a supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. [2]

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US negotiators had been in touch with their Iranian counterparts to tell them you better make a deal Trump added. [2] The IRGC said the renewed US blockade had cut off oil and gas exports to the world including America’s economic rivals. [5]