Chances of a peace deal between Iran and the U.S. seemed especially distant Wednesday after President Trump repeated his threats to strike at civilian targets there and Tehran said it would retaliate.
Mr. Trump indicated he was prepared to escalate America’s bombing of Iran if its forces continue to interfere with commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump has made repeated threats to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure since the war began on Feb. 28. He hopes to use his threats to force Iran back to the negotiating table, where the regime may agree to concessions on its nuclear program.
Iran’s response indicated that it was willing to authorize similar strikes on American regional partners.
“The equation of this war is clear: either all or none!” Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X. “In a region where we do not sell oil, no one will sell oil. If our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe, and the security of the strait is in the absence of American forces.”
Public diplomacy between the two countries has been dead for weeks after Iranian forces targeted commercial tankers traveling in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting U.S. forces to conduct retaliatory strikes.
Still, Mr. Trump maintains that the U.S. is open to diplomacy but is waiting to see whether Iran can respect the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which established a ceasefire and reopened the strait.
“They’re getting hit so hard, and they want to make a deal. But I say they’re not ready to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Marietta, Georgia. “Every time they make a deal, they want to change it and everything. They’re not ready. They’ll be ready very soon.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling in Asia, said the U.S. is “not going to sit by and let ships be blown up, or Americans be attacked.”
Iran argues that the memorandum’s terms give its forces sovereignty over the strait, through which at least 20% of the world’s oil travels each year, for at least 60 days while peace negotiations take place.
The memorandum is somewhat vague, requiring Iran to “make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge.”
SEE ALSO: Iran denies nuclear activity at ‘Pickaxe Mountain’ after Trump’s threats
Iranian officials said the ships that were attacked earlier this month were traveling in the strait without the permission of Iran’s armed forces and therefore broke the deal’s terms.
The U.S. has made reopening the Strait of Hormuz one of its most important goals in the war.
The strait’s closure has forced oil prices to soar, with Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, reaching as high as $95 a barrel on Wednesday. That was a major jump from Monday’s $89-a-barrel price and far above prewar levels.
In addition to resuming strikes on Iranian military targets this month, Mr. Trump reauthorized the U.S. naval blockade of Iran’s ports, hoping to put further economic pressure on Tehran to make a deal.
As of Wednesday, U.S. forces had redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled one in Hormuz, according to Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East.
The U.S. strikes have prompted Iranian retaliation, which continued Wednesday.
The Iranian military carried out strikes on U.S. military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan on Wednesday, according to state-affiliated media. Casualties and damage from the strikes are still unknown.
Iranian strikes have already incurred a heavy human cost for the U.S. military. Since bombing resumed this month, Iranian missiles and drones have killed at least three service members in Iraq and Jordan, bringing the total number of deaths since the war began to 18.
Mr. Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to watch the dignified transfer of the remains of four Army soldiers.
Two — 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas — died during Iranian attacks in Jordan over the weekend.
The Pentagon recently announced that a third soldier — Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of New York City — also died in the incident.
The fourth — Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina — was killed by debris during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq.
Mr. Trump said members of 1st Lt. Feehan’s family traveled with him to Georgia on Air Force One, and he acknowledged them during his speech at the rally.
“I think it’s the toughest thing I do,” Mr. Trump said of the dignified transfers. “We will carry Tyler’s memory in our hearts forever.”
As fighting with Iran resumed, the Department of Energy announced a major nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia. The agreement differs from prior U.S. policy in that it would permit Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium domestically — a step previous administrations had refused to allow — potentially upending longstanding nonproliferation commitments in the region.
The agreement allows Saudi Arabia to develop a domestic nuclear program with assistance from U.S. companies.
The agreement is likely to receive stiff pushback from allies of Israel, who have long worried about Gulf nations developing their own nuclear weapons.
However, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said the deal will only increase cooperation with the U.S. and that the Trump administration is committed to nonproliferation in the region.
“Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation, while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States,” he wrote in a statement.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.