US launches new airstrikes on Iran and threatens to destroy power plants and bridges if no deal, as Iran hits US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan

Military escalation

The United States carried out a fourth consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran, with the latest wave lasting roughly 90 minutes and targeting coastal defence positions, missile and drone facilities on Greater Tunb island, and army barracks in Sistan and Baluchistan province. CENTCOM confirmed that a parallel seven‑hour operation on Tuesday night struck “dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas,” including naval capabilities and coastal defence systems, completing the seventh wave of attacks since the conflict reignited. Maritime traffic was further throttled when Washington reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports on Tuesday evening, reversing last month’s brief truce.

Trump’s infrastructure threat

Speaking to Fox News, President Donald Trump issued his most explicit warning yet. “We’ll knock out all their power plants. We’ll destroy all their bridges if they don’t come to the negotiating table,” he said, adding that next week “will be extremely difficult for them.” Trump indicated that energy targets would be left until last but confirmed that destroying civilian infrastructure was now on the table. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, had previously cautioned that deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime under the Geneva Conventions of 1949, yet Trump maintained the threat in his interview with Bret Baier.

We’ll knock out all their power plants. We’ll destroy all their bridges if they don’t come to the negotiating table.

Iran strikes back

Hours after the US blockade was reimposed, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the second phase of Operation “Nasr 2” (“Victory 2”), firing missiles and drones at American military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The IRGC said it set fuel depots ablaze and destroyed a Patriot air‑defence radar, the fleet’s air‑surveillance radar and a C‑RAM early‑warning system at the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. A separate volley of ballistic missiles struck an airbase in Jordan that Iran alleges was used to stage attacks against its territory. Authorities in Bahrain and Kuwait issued missile alerts, and Jordan’s air defences intercepted three incoming Iranian rockets, while Kuwait reported repelling several hostile drones.

Expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies.

Regional and diplomatic fallout

Iranian state television reported “decisive response” vows from the Islamic Republic’s armed forces, and the IRGC warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the US ends its “acts of aggression.” The Corps further cautioned that additional export corridors for oil and gas, which it did not name, could be shut, raising the stakes for global energy markets. Republican political strategist Ron Bonjean told the Financial Times that Trump “seems to have reached the end of his rope on [Iran]” and that “it could take months or years for this conflict to be resolved.” Becca Wasser of the Center for a New American Security noted the White House’s apparent reliance on air power alone, questioning what repeated strikes can actually deliver.

Trump seems to have reached the end of his rope on Iran. Reality is setting in that it will take some time — it could be months or years before this conflict is resolved.

Ukraine timeline in the background

In the same round of interviews with Fox News, Trump also addressed the war in Ukraine, telling correspondent Trey Ingst that he expects the conflict to end before his term expires on 20 January 2029. “I think he is ready to make a deal. And soon,” Trump said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov confirmed that Washington has signalled readiness to resume Ukraine talks once it “solves the problems” around the Persian Gulf. The president has now offered at least seven different timelines for ending the Ukraine war, from “24 hours” during the campaign to the latest four‑year horizon, a pattern that feeds both domestic and allied uncertainty.

I think he is ready to make a deal. And soon.