Chances of a peace deal between Iran and the U.S. seemed especially distant on Wednesday after President Trump repeated his threats to strike at civilian targets there and Tehran said it would retaliate.
Mr. Trump indicated he’s 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 threats to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure repeatedly since the war began in February. He’s hoping to use his threats to force Iran back to the negotiating table, where they may agree to concessions on their 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!” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has acted as Iran’s head negotiator during talks, 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 if Iran can respect the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which established a ceasefire and reopened Hormuz.
“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 political 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 Wednesday 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 provision of the memorandum is somewhat vague, requiring Iran to “make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge.”
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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 of the war.
The strait’s closure has forced oil prices to skyrocket, with Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, hitting as high as $95 a barrel on Wednesday. That’s a major jump from Monday’s $89 a barrel price point 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 have 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 on Wednesday 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.”
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