President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants for every attack Iran carries out against commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, escalating rhetoric as the US military continues its campaign against Tehran. Speaking Wednesday, Trump said the US will “bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant, including those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran,” each time Iran targets a vessel in the critical waterway.
The threat comes as the US military completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets, according to US Central Command. The strikes are meant to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial vessels in regional waters.
The escalation marks a dramatic intensification since Trump declared the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran “over” on July 8, ending a months-long pause in hostilities. Since then, both sides have traded waves of attacks and counterattacks. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed Wednesday that an oil tanker caught fire following an explosion after attempting to pass what the IRGC described as the mined route south of the Strait of Hormuz, though the claim could not be independently verified.
The conflict has also drawn in regional proxy forces. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis claimed early Thursday to have struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea—the Layla and the Encelia—with multiple drones and missiles in response to what they said was a violation of their announced naval blockade. The Encelia was reported to have caught fire on its bow, though Saudi authorities said all crew members were safe.
The human toll of the conflict became visible Wednesday when Trump attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base of four US service members killed in the war. Trump later honored one of the fallen, 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, during a speech in Georgia, saying the experience was “very tough to watch” and that attending such ceremonies is “the toughest thing I do” as president.
Pickaxe Mountain and Nuclear Threats
Beyond infrastructure targets, Trump has also threatened to strike Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground nuclear facility buried at least 100 meters beneath a mountain called Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, located about a mile south of the Natanz uranium-enrichment complex. Construction on the site began in 2020, and Iran declared it to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency as a facility to assemble centrifuges for nuclear fuel production.
Israeli intelligence believes Iran moved part of its enriched uranium stockpile and advanced enrichment centrifuges to Pickaxe Mountain after Israel and the US struck three key Iranian nuclear facilities—Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow—in a 12-day conflict in June 2025. The facility is believed to remain under construction and not yet operational, though activity at the site may have intensified in the past year.
Trump said Tuesday that the US will strike the site “pretty soon,” declaring, “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready.” In response, Tehran warned that any US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be treated as an expansion of the war, according to state media reported early Wednesday.
Analysts are divided on whether strikes could effectively disable the site. Nonproliferation expert Andrea Stricker told CNN that Trump should act to prevent Iran from “reconstituting an enrichment or nuclear weapons option,” but Carnegie Endowment nuclear policy expert James Acton expressed doubt that the US could do much more than collapse access tunnels at the deeply buried facility, which he said “isn’t a game changer.”
The conflict has rattled global energy markets. Oil prices have surged around 20 percent this month as fighting continues, with the renewed blockade on Iran’s ports reducing oil flows and stoking concerns about further disruptions to one of the world’s most critical chokepoints. The sustained military campaign and threat of wider escalation have raised questions about how the conflict will eventually end, with Trump keeping the door open to diplomacy even as strikes continue.
Sources
- CNN — Trump’s threat to destroy bridges and power plants, 12 consecutive nights of strikes, Pickaxe Mountain details and Israeli intelligence, Houthis’ attacks on Saudi tankers, dignified transfer ceremony
- Reuters — Pickaxe Mountain facility description and location details
- BBC — Trump’s threats to strike Iranian infrastructure
- Al Jazeera — Pickaxe Mountain site characteristics and Trump’s threats
- The New York Times — Iranian response to Trump’s threats
- PBS NewsHour — Trump’s escalated threats on infrastructure targets
- Politico — Trump’s warning on bridges and power plants
- Axios — Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian infrastructure
- Wall Street Journal — Trump’s warning on Iranian power plants and bridges
- US Central Command — Details on 12th consecutive night of strikes and military targets
