On July 14, 2026, US President Donald Trump warned Iran that it will face severe consequences if it does not resume talks, threatening to strike the country’s bridges and power plants as early as next week. This statement was made during a Fox News interview, which aired as the two countries engaged in their fourth consecutive day of exchanges. Trump had previously reversed his decision to impose a 20% fee on all cargo shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but the US has resumed blockading Iranian ports. Trump stated, ‘Next week it gets really bad for them. 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.’ These comments echo earlier threats that were condemned by UN officials. The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, had said that deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime under international law. The 1949 Geneva Conventions also prohibit attacks on sites essential for civilians. The escalation in rhetoric comes after Trump announced that a 20% toll he had threatened to impose in the Strait of Hormuz would be replaced by ‘massive’ trade and investment deals with Gulf states. This announcement was made hours before the US resumed its blockade of Iranian ports, triggering a sharp rise in oil prices as tanker traffic through the Strait has virtually stalled.
US Central Command said late on Tuesday that its forces had launched an additional round of strikes against Iran to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the key waterway. US Admiral Brad Cooper stated that Iran had ‘intentionally targeted civilians’ in the region by attacking seven commercial ships, resulting in nearly a dozen civilian crew members killed, missing, or injured. The United Arab Emirates reported that Iranian cruise missiles had targeted two national tankers, killing an Indian crew member and wounding eight others. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later confirmed the strikes, saying that the two tankers had ignored warnings and attempted to pass through a mined route. The situation continues to escalate, with Kuwait’s military intercepting Iranian attack drones and Bahrain activating air raid sirens in the early hours of Wednesday.
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📰 Source: BBC World