US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iranian infrastructure if Tehran targets commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating the conflict as fresh threats to Red Sea maritime traffic raise fears of further disruption to global energy supplies.
Reuters reported on Thursday Trump saying the United States would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran fired upon a vessel transiting the strategic waterway, prompting Tehran to warn of retaliatory attacks against critical infrastructure across the region.
Iran's joint military command, according to state media, warned that any attack on the country's infrastructure would trigger strikes on regional oil, gas, electricity and economic facilities while preventing the export of "even a single drop of oil."
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reinforced the warning, posting on X: "Our defence doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response."
The exchange came as the conflict expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen threatening to block Saudi oil exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping corridors.
The renewed security concerns prompted five oil tankers to alter course in the Red Sea on Wednesday, following the diversion of three Saudi crude carriers bound for China and India a day earlier.
The twin threats to the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have intensified concerns over global oil supplies, with Brent crude briefly climbing above US$95 a barrel before settling just above US$94, its highest level in nearly six weeks.
In the United States, petrol prices have risen above US$4 a gallon, adding pressure on consumers and weighing on Trump's approval ratings ahead of November's congressional elections.
The Red Sea disruptions also threaten Saudi Arabia's alternative export route. Large volumes of crude have been redirected to the kingdom's Red Sea terminal at Yanbu to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, but any prolonged disruption at Bab el-Mandeb would force vessels to reroute through the Suez Canal, extending voyages by weeks and significantly increasing shipping costs.
Current and former US officials said a Houthi blockade of Saudi exports through the Red Sea could further widen the conflict while stretching American military resources already engaged in countering Iranian attacks across the region.
Despite sustained US military operations since a June ceasefire collapsed, Iran has continued to demonstrate missile and drone capabilities, launching attacks on strategic infrastructure in Kuwait and targeting US military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Major General Amir Hatami said the country had strengthened its military in anticipation that its adversaries would violate agreements, while parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee spokesperson Hasan Qashqavi described Trump as being in a "quagmire".
According to an Iranian health ministry official, 53 civilians have been killed and 592 injured since late June. Since the conflict involving the United States and Israel began on Feb 28, thousands of people have reportedly died and millions have been displaced.
The US military maintains that it does not deliberately target civilians, although Trump has repeatedly threatened strikes on civilian infrastructure if it is also used for military purposes.
The conflict has also claimed the lives of 18 US service members and left more than 450 troops wounded.
Trump attended a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday honouring four service members killed in recent Iranian attacks on US military bases, including three in Jordan and one in Iraq.
"For me it's one of the hardest things to do as a president. But it has to be done," Trump said before departing for the ceremony.
Later, during a speech in Georgia, he described the conflict differently, saying: "I call it a skirmish."
Meanwhile, US intelligence agencies are investigating whether Russia provided Iran with targeting intelligence or advanced drone technology after Iranian drone attacks struck CIA facilities in the Gulf during the early stages of the conflict, according to people familiar with the assessment.
Diplomatic efforts to restore a 14-point memorandum of understanding agreed in June have continued, but Iran has insisted on maintaining the control it established over the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said recognising such control would create a dangerous international precedent, particularly for countries in Southeast Asia facing maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
"If they're serious, we're serious. If they're not, then we will do what's necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies," Rubio told reporters during a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila. - July 23, 2026
