President Donald Trump threatened to target Iran's power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations, escalating pressure after he previously warned of a strike on the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. The ultimatum, issued in a Fox News interview on 14 July, came as US forces conducted strikes for a fourth consecutive day and resumed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The 17 June ceasefire between Washington and Tehran has effectively collapsed.
US Central Command said the latest operations aimed at degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported explosions near Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm island, while IRNA said Tehran launched a drone attack on a US-hosted military base in Jordan.
Trump replaced a proposed 20% shipping fee with investment deals involving Gulf Arab states and declined to rule out deploying ground troops, though he said he preferred not to.