Donald Trump has escalated his warnings to Iran, threatening to demolish the country’s power infrastructure and bridges if its government refuses to reach a negotiated settlement, as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz intensified following fresh attacks on international shipping.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, the US president responded directly to Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz — a move that included what Trump described as gunfire directed at vessels in the waterway, among them a French ship and a British freight carrier. “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — a total violation of our ceasefire agreement,” Trump wrote, adding: “That wasn’t nice, was it?”
The post marked a sharp escalation in tone. Trump warned that should Iran decline to accept what he described as “a very fair and reasonable deal,” the United States would target every power plant and every bridge in the country. “NO MORE MR NICE GUY,” he wrote. “They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy — and if they don’t take the deal, it will be my honour to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran by other Presidents for the last 47 years.”
Despite the confrontational language, the president confirmed that American representatives were travelling to Islamabad, Pakistan, for negotiations with Iranian officials, signalling that diplomatic channels remain open even as rhetoric on both sides hardens.
Trump also sought to reframe Iran’s closure of the strait as self-defeating, arguing that an existing US blockade had already rendered the waterway effectively shut. He claimed Iran was haemorrhaging $500 million a day as a result of the closed passage, while insisting the United States was suffering no economic consequence. He noted that multiple ships were already en route to ports in Texas, Louisiana and Alaska to take on supplies — which he attributed sardonically to the IRGC’s habit of wanting to appear, in his words, “the tough guy.”
The remarks came just a day after Trump had claimed on the same platform that Iran had agreed never to close the strait again — a statement that appeared to be contradicted almost immediately by events on the water.
Iranian officials have said that peace negotiations are making some progress, though significant differences between the two sides remain unresolved. Tehran has maintained that the strait will remain closed unless Washington reverses what it called a “foolish” blockade of Iranian ports.
