DUBAI, July 22 – President Donald Trump has issued one of his strongest warnings since fighting between the United States and Iran intensified, declaring that Washington will destroy a bridge or power plant every time Iran attacks a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement signals another escalation in a conflict that has already disrupted global energy markets, strained diplomatic efforts, and increased fears of a broader regional war.
The latest exchange of threats comes as both countries continue daily military operations around one of the world’s most strategically important waterways. Airstrikes, missile launches, and drone attacks have become increasingly frequent, while international efforts to revive negotiations have produced little progress. With oil prices climbing and shipping routes under growing pressure, governments across the Middle East and beyond are watching the situation with increasing concern.
Trump Escalates Warning as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Deepens
President Trump made his position clear in a message posted on social media, stating that any Iranian strike on ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger immediate American retaliation against civilian infrastructure inside Iran.
According to Trump’s statement, the United States would respond to attacks carried out by missiles, rockets, drones, or any other weapons by destroying “one bridge or power plant” for every assault on maritime traffic.
The declaration represents one of the administration’s toughest public positions since hostilities resumed. It also reflects Washington’s determination to prevent Iran from exercising control over the narrow waterway, through which roughly one fifth of the world’s internationally traded oil and natural gas typically passes during normal conditions.
The conflict has transformed the Strait of Hormuz into the central battleground between the two countries. Iranian attacks on commercial shipping have significantly reduced maritime traffic, disrupting global energy supplies and contributing to rising fuel costs worldwide. Brent crude oil climbed to around $94 per barrel following the latest escalation, while gasoline prices continued to increase in several countries.
The economic consequences have become a growing political concern inside the United States as higher fuel prices place additional pressure on consumers ahead of the upcoming congressional midterm elections.
Trump was scheduled to travel to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday to receive the remains of four American service members killed during the conflict. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers during a Senate hearing that the United States has spent approximately $37.5 billion on military operations connected to the war so far.
Military operations also continued overnight. The U.S. military confirmed another series of airstrikes targeting Iranian facilities, including aircraft shelters and locations used to store drones. Air defense systems were activated across Tehran as explosions were reported in several provinces.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported multiple blasts during the overnight attacks. According to Iran’s Health Ministry, U.S. military strikes over the past 11 days have killed 53 people, including women and children, while nearly 600 others have been wounded.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps maintained that its military response would continue despite the latest American warning.
Regional Tensions Spread Beyond Iran and the Gulf
The confrontation has increasingly drawn neighboring countries into the crisis, even as they seek to avoid direct involvement.
Jordan’s military announced that its air defense units intercepted four Iranian missiles over the southern city of Aqaba, while two additional missiles landed in unpopulated areas. Officials also reported shooting down four Iranian drones approaching Jordanian airspace.
Videos recorded by residents in the nearby Israeli city of Eilat showed smoke rising above the skyline as interceptions took place across the border.
Although Iran has largely avoided launching direct attacks against Israel since the latest phase of fighting began, the missile activity near Israel’s southern border has raised fresh concerns that the conflict could expand further if accidental strikes occur.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, authorities in Bahrain issued another missile alert, while officials in Saudi Arabia advised residents in the eastern city of Dammam to seek shelter as a precaution. Saudi authorities later announced that the immediate danger had passed without providing additional operational details.
The fighting has also expanded beyond the Persian Gulf itself. Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have threatened to target Saudi shipping operating in the Red Sea, raising fears that another vital international trade corridor could face disruption.
Meanwhile, both sides have increasingly targeted infrastructure linked to civilian life.
Iran has responded to American airstrikes by attacking energy facilities and desalination plants in neighboring Gulf states. These desalination plants provide drinking water to millions of people living in some of the world’s driest regions.
International humanitarian law generally prohibits deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure unless those facilities are being used for military purposes. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres criticized such strikes earlier this week, describing attacks against civilian infrastructure as unacceptable and urging all parties to exercise restraint.
The growing focus on infrastructure has increased fears that ordinary civilians could bear an even greater burden as the conflict continues without a clear path toward de-escalation.
Diplomatic efforts show no signs of progress
Despite continued military exchanges, diplomatic contacts have not completely stopped, though they appear to have produced little meaningful progress.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni traveled to Pakistan, which has maintained communication with both sides and has attempted to facilitate dialogue throughout the crisis. While the visit underscored Islamabad’s continuing diplomatic role, no new agreement emerged to reduce tensions.
Iranian Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeinivand told reporters, according to IRNA, that diplomacy had not been abandoned and that messages continued to be exchanged between the opposing sides. However, officials did not disclose the contents of those communications or indicate whether formal negotiations could resume.
Speaking during a regional summit in the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Washington’s position on protecting international shipping routes.
Rubio argued that allowing any country to control an international waterway through military force would establish a dangerous global precedent. He warned that if such actions were accepted in the Middle East, similar tactics could eventually emerge in other strategically important maritime regions around the world.
Following the latest Iranian attacks on commercial vessels, the United States also reinstated a blockade targeting Iranian ports, adding further economic pressure on Tehran.
President Trump, speaking from the Oval Office a day earlier, expressed little optimism about restarting direct talks with Iran, saying the United States currently had “no interest in meeting.”
He also suggested that American forces could eventually target Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, specifically referring to the heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain complex located near the Natanz nuclear enrichment site.
The underground facility survived previous American bombing campaigns during the 2025 conflict because of its deep construction beneath a mountain. Intelligence analysts have continued to monitor excavation work at the location, raising concerns that Iran could further expand its nuclear capabilities there.
Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful civilian purposes. However, Western governments remain concerned after Tehran resumed enriching uranium to levels approaching weapons grade following the collapse of the 2015 nuclear agreement, which was abandoned during Trump’s first administration.
With military operations continuing across multiple fronts, commercial shipping under constant threat, and diplomatic channels showing few signs of delivering a breakthrough, the confrontation appears locked in an increasingly dangerous cycle. Every new strike raises the risk of wider regional instability while placing additional pressure on global energy supplies and international markets, leaving governments around the world searching for a path that can prevent the conflict from expanding even further.