President Donald Trump has threatened to expand US military strikes to Iran’s power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returns to the negotiating table, marking a sharp escalation in a conflict that has already seen four consecutive days of mutual attacks and the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said American forces would “knock out all their power plants” and “knock out all their bridges” if no deal is reached, adding that the campaign would continue “until I say it’s enough.” The remarks came hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a fresh round of strikes against Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of a blockade on vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports, a measure first imposed in April and briefly lifted under a now-collapsed June ceasefire.

Viewed from Washington, the ultimatum is designed to force Iran into accepting a broader agreement that would guarantee it never acquires nuclear weapons and ensure freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway. Trump claimed that US negotiators had conveyed to Iranian counterparts on Tuesday evening that they “better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left,” and he did not rule out a ground campaign, though he suggested “other people” would carry it out. The president also reversed a plan to impose a 20 percent fee on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf states would instead make “massive” trade and investment deals with the United States. According to CENTCOM, the renewed strikes aim to “degrade Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping,” while Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “degraded to a very low level.”

Tehran’s leadership has responded with its own military actions and defiant rhetoric. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had attacked US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, including what it described as a command-and-control centre of the US Fifth Fleet, and warned that “the export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one.” Iranian state media reported that the IRGC’s aerospace forces had struck a satellite communication centre, a Patriot air-defence complex and HIMARS launch sites. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi declared that the memorandum of understanding with Washington “no longer exists,” while Iran has accused the US of violating the ceasefire first. The IRGC also confirmed strikes on two UAE-flagged tankers, which the Emirates said killed an Indian crew member and wounded eight others; the Guard claimed the vessels had ignored warnings and attempted to pass through a mined route.

The renewed hostilities have effectively dismantled the fragile truce brokered by Pakistan, Oman and Qatar on 17 June, which had set a 60-day framework for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and maritime security. Oil prices rose sharply as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes—has virtually stalled. International humanitarian law, as previously underscored by UN human rights chief Volker Türk, prohibits deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the 1949 Geneva Conventions bar strikes on objects indispensable to the civilian population. Diplomatic channels remain open, but the Trump administration has stated that meaningful talks cannot proceed while Iran restricts navigation in the strait. With the US having formally notified Congress of renewed hostilities, the president can continue operations for another 60 days without legislative approval, and the coming week is now framed by Trump’s explicit deadline for a diplomatic breakthrough.