President Donald Trump has signaled a willingness to intensify military actions against Iran, threatening to target the country’s power plants and bridges in an effort to pressure Tehran into returning to negotiations. Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said the United States planned to escalate attacks day by day, aiming to compel Iran to adhere to an agreement after the U.S. reinstated a naval blockade of Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The only way you can negotiate with these people is through strength, and the only strength is military,” Trump said during an appearance on Fox News. He claimed that a deal had been nearly reached two days earlier, only for Iran to back out at the last moment. Warning of increased strikes ahead, he said, “Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges,” adding that these strikes would continue until Iran agreed to negotiate.
U.S. Central Command denied Iranian allegations that American strikes targeted a civilian wheat storage site in Hoveyzeh, stating all attacks over the past five days have focused on degrading Iran’s military capabilities to launch assaults on commercial shipping. The command specified that strikes hit military targets in Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Tunb, Bushehr, and Kuh-e Stak. Meanwhile, Iranian forces have been accused of targeting innocent civilians traveling through the Strait of Hormuz and nearby Gulf nations.
Iranian officials have rejected calls for renewed talks, instead emphasizing their defensive stance. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said the country has no plans to negotiate currently and accused the U.S. of failing to honor its commitments under a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17. “Our commitments remain in effect only as long as the other side fulfills its pledges,” Baghaei stated.
Since hostilities intensified over the weekend, at least 30 civilians have reportedly been killed and 260 injured in Iranian territory as a result of U.S. strikes, which included a sustained assault on Tuesday lasting seven hours. The Iranian army reported that a missile attack near Iranshahr in southeastern Iran killed seven members of its military personnel.
Iranian forces have also launched attacks on seven commercial vessels over the past week, resulting in the deaths of at least two Indian sailors. In retaliation, Iran has targeted U.S. military bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Kuwaiti authorities reported intercepting multiple attack drones, attributing the aggression to Iran, while Bahrain said it successfully intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian-launched aerial attacks. Jordan confirmed it shot down at least three missiles aimed at its territory.
Against this backdrop, the family of British nationals Craig and Lindsay Foreman, imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges they deny, revealed that a judge extended Craig Foreman’s sentence by two years after he spoke to the media. The couple was arrested last year while traveling through Iran by motorcycle during a global tour.