President Donald Trump threatened more attacks on Iranian infrastructure on Thursday, hours after U.S. forces struck a highway bridge near Tehran.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump shared a video of the bridge collapsing and urged Iranian leaders to make a deal before it is too late.
“Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran,” he wrote shortly before midnight in Washington. “Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants! New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done FAST!”
The attack on the B1 bridge killed eight people and wounded 95, according to Iran’s state media. U.S. officials told Reuters and Axios the strike was militarily justified, saying it aimed to eliminate a supply route for Iran’s ballistic missile and attack drone force.
The strike comes as Trump says the U.S. is preparing to wind down the war, which has destroyed much of Iran’s weapons stockpile and naval vessels. Officials in Washington have framed the monthlong conflict as successful, saying the U.S. is in talks to reach a ceasefire.
However, Iranian leaders have publicly denied that they are negotiating with the U.S. and continue to effectively blockade oil tankers from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The chokehold on the waterway has sent global fuel prices surging, sparking international condemnation and raising concerns about long-term economic impacts.
Gas prices have been rising in the U.S. and at overseas American military bases. In Germany, home to the largest U.S. armed forces presence in Europe, a gallon of super unleaded cost $5.01 on Thursday. About three weeks ago, the price was $4.17 per gallon.
In a prime-time address this week, Trump said the U.S. does not rely on fuel from the strait as much as other nations, adding that they can get their own oil.
“We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on,” he said.
The U.S. was not among the more than 40 nations that gathered virtually on Thursday to discuss ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The United Kingdom hosted the meeting, which explored diplomatic, economic and political measures to get the ships moving again.
“Iran is trying to hold the global economy hostage in the Strait of Hormuz,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement following the talks. “They must not prevail.”
U.S. forces strike a highway bridge near Tehran, Iran, in this screenshot from a video posted to President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account on Thursday. In the accompanying post, Trump said there was “much more to follow” and urged Iranian leaders to reach a deal before it is too late. (Donald Trump/Truth Social)
