President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday that the United States would retaliate against Iranian infrastructure each time the country attacks a vessel traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said any future Iranian attack involving a missile, rocket, drone or other weapon would be met with the destruction of one bridge or power plant inside Iran. He added that the targets could include infrastructure located near Tehran or within the capital itself.
The warning marked another escalation in the growing confrontation between Washington and Tehran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes. The narrow waterway connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and is used to transport large quantities of oil and other commercial goods.
Trump’s comments came as the U.S. military continued its campaign against Iranian targets. On Tuesday night, American forces carried out their 11th consecutive night of strikes, according to U.S. Central Command.
CENTCOM said the operation targeted Iranian military command centers, aircraft hangars, maritime equipment, drone storage locations and logistics facilities. The stated goal was to further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial vessels using the strait.
According to CENTCOM, Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial ships during the past three months. The command said those attacks have put hundreds of civilian sailors in danger and interfered with freedom of navigation in an international waterway that plays a major role in regional and global trade.
Despite the attacks, U.S. officials maintain that the strait remains open. CENTCOM said American forces have helped roughly 900 commercial vessels pass through the waterway since early May, carrying an estimated 450 million barrels of crude oil. Official CENTCOM releases have also confirmed repeated strikes on Iranian military, missile, drone and maritime targets throughout July.
Iran, however, showed no sign of backing down after Trump’s warning.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted an unnamed military source who said Iran would respond if the United States carried out attacks on bridges or power plants. The source reportedly warned that Iranian forces could strike infrastructure throughout the region, including bridges and energy facilities connected to American interests.
Tasnim also argued that commercial ships could travel safely through the Strait of Hormuz only if their passage were coordinated with Iranian authorities and conducted under Iranian regulations. Otherwise, the report said, Iran would continue trying to control the waterway as part of its long-term security strategy.
The news agency also reported that an American missile struck Larak Island, which sits inside the strait, at 2:48 p.m. on Wednesday. Iranian authorities were said to be investigating the location of the impact and the extent of any damage.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had stopped vessel traffic in the strait. In a statement released Tuesday night, the organization said no ship had attempted to use what it described as the unlawful southern route.
That route has been promoted by the United States as a way for commercial vessels to avoid Iranian-controlled channels and demands for toll payments. Iran, however, considers passage through the area to be subject to its authority.