President Trump on Sunday threatened to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges by Tuesday if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, posting an expletive-laden message on Truth Social that escalated the war of words ahead of a fast-approaching deadline.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Trump wrote . “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
Iran responded with defiance Sunday. Mizan, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, said Trump’s expletive-laden post had insulted Iranians with “vile” language, adding that “Iran’s steadfastness and resistance have driven Trump to the brink of madness.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was also quick to respond. “As you head off to church and celebrate with friends and family, the President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media,” Schumer wrote on X. “He’s threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. This is who he is, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves so much better.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, backed the president’s ultimatum. “He is deadly serious when it comes to his ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face a massive military response against vital infrastructure,” Graham wrote on X. “To say the window on diplomacy is closing would be an understatement.”
In a phone call with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst on Sunday, Trump said he is considering “blowing everything up and taking over the oil” if Iran does not act quickly. He expressed optimism that a deal could come as soon as Monday, saying negotiators on the Iranian side had been granted amnesty to continue talks.
Later, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump went further. “If they don’t come through, if they want to keep it closed, they’re going to lose every power plant and every other plant they have in the whole country,” he said. “If they don’t do something by Tuesday evening, they won’t have any power plants and they won’t have any bridges standing.”
Trump also told Yingst that the U.S. had supplied weapons to Iranian protesters through Kurdish intermediaries. “We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them,” Trump said. “And I think the Kurds took the guns.” CNN had previously reported that the U.S. was arming Kurdish groups in order to foment a popular uprising inside Iran.
Behind the scenes, Oman — a Gulf nation that has historically served as a back-channel mediator between the U.S. and Iran — held talks Saturday with Iranian officials on reopening the strait. An Omani source told CNN that a deal to open the strait would be “difficult to achieve under wartime conditions,” adding that a ceasefire remained “by far the best solution.”
Trump’s threats came one day after U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6 extracted a downed Air Force colonel from deep inside Iranian territory. The successful rescue appeared to embolden the president, who called it “an AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!” Iran downplayed the mission, calling it a “deception.”
Trump has threatened to strike Iran’s power infrastructure on two previous occasions, delaying both times as diplomatic contacts continued. Attacking power plants and bridges used primarily by civilians could constitute a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
The escalation came as a projectile struck near Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant at Bushehr on Saturday, killing one security personnel member and damaging an auxiliary building. No increase in radiation levels was detected, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. Russia evacuated roughly 200 workers from the facility following the strike.
Overnight Iranian drone strikes hit two power and water desalination plants in Kuwait, forcing two electricity-generating units offline, Kuwaiti authorities said. A separate strike targeted the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s oil complex in Kuwait City, sparking a fire. No casualties were reported in either attack.
