President Donald Trump has threatened that the US would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant any time its forces attack a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Potential targets would include ones “located next to, or in,” the capital Tehran, he said in a post on Truth Social.
The military response would follow any form of attack on shipping in the vital waterway, “whether it be by missile, rocket, drone, or any other device or weapon”.
His threat follows the US launching strikes on Iran for the 11th consecutive night, with Tehran warning the US against targeting its nuclear facilities.
Iranian state media reported that air defences were activated in the capital Tehran. Explosions were also reported in the north-western city of Tabriz, the south-eastern ports of Chabahar and Konarak, and in the southern city of Bushehr, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.
Iran, which has retaliated against the US and its Middle East allies, warned of reprisals after Trump said the US would soon hit an underground nuclear site near Natanz.
Kuwait’s army said on Wednesday that its air defences had engaged with drone attacks from Iran, while Bahrain and Jordan said they had also intercepted drone and missile strikes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the US would “defend” ships going through the straits getting “blown up”.
He added that US officials were “open to diplomacy” but Iran did not seem serious about that.
The price of oil jumped in response to the latest escalation, reaching $94 on Wednesday.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned the US on Wednesday evening that “the equation of this war is clear: either all or none!
“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. We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to pre-war conditions,” Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X.
Rubio earlier said Washington was still willing to engage in diplomacy with Tehran, but added that he did not believe Iran was serious about talks.
