Trump vows to hit more Iranian infrastructure as nations seek to open Hormuz

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said the US “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran”, reiterating vows to increase the ferocity of attacks on its infrastructure, as dozens of countries sought ways to restart vital energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly five weeks after it started with a joint US-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil financial markets, raising the pressure on Trump to find a quick resolution to the conflict.

Trump has stepped up his rhetoric in recent days as negotiations conducted via intermediaries with new leaders in Iran show limited signs of progress, and pessimism at home about the war grows.

The US military “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants”, Trump wrote on social media late on Thursday (Apr 2), adding that Iran’s leadership “knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!” 

He earlier posted a video of the US bombing a newly constructed bridge between Tehran and nearby Karaj. The B1 bridge was scheduled to open to traffic this year. According to Iran’s state media, eight people were killed, and 95 others were wounded in the US attack.

“Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender,” Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement.

Iranian media reported a drone attack on Friday morning on a Red Crescent relief warehouse in the Choghadak area of southern Bushehr province, saying two containers were destroyed. Bushehr, a major port city and key maritime hub, also hosts Iran’s first nuclear power facility.

Satellite images also showed smoke rising from the port in Qeshm, an Iranian island strategically located in the Strait of Hormuz, earlier this week.

Still, Iran and its allies have continued to strike targets around the Gulf. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by drones, setting off fires at operating units, but no injuries were reported, according to the state news agency.

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said on Friday its air defences intercepted seven drones in recent hours, according to its state news agency.

And a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central HQ said on Friday a second US F-35 fighter jet was shot down over central Iran by Revolutionary Guard air defences, with low chances of pilot survival.

There was no immediate comment from the US

Last month, the US military said in a statement that a US F-35 aircraft conducted an emergency landing after flying a combat mission over Iran. The military said the pilot was in stable condition.