Trump threatens to strike Iran's power plants amid Hormuz impasse

In a Fox News interview, Trump stated, “Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges. We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.” This echoes similar threats made in March to "obliterate" Iran's power and water facilities.

The comments come as US forces have conducted strikes against Iran for four consecutive days, reimposing a naval blockade on the country's ports in the critical Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (Centcom) announced the strikes were intended to "degrade Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping" in the vital waterway.

Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas and the island of Qeshm. Subsequently, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that Iranian forces launched a drone attack on a military base in Jordan that hosts American warplanes.

Earlier, Trump had backed down from a threat to impose a 20% fee on ships for "security" in the strait, replacing it with purported investment and trade deals with Gulf Arab states. He cited "highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership" for the abrupt U-turn, which occurred just hours before the toll was set to take effect. Trump affirmed that the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports.

This shift followed three days of US strikes and Iranian retaliation against US allies, intensifying regional tensions and dimming prospects for negotiations. A fragile ceasefire established on June 17 has effectively collapsed, with the focus now on control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, stated that the US decision to renew the blockade "has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum."

When asked about the duration of the US strikes, Trump responded, "They’ll continue until I say it’s enough."