Tehran responds after Trump warns US will strike bridges, power plants over Hormuz attacks

The Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on a motion to advance a War Powers Resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct military operations against Iran without congressional approval.

The measure, S.J. Res. 180, was introduced by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Thursday’s vote will determine whether the resolution advances for further consideration.

The U.S. is moving forces, weapons and medics to the Middle East to give President Donald Trump broader military options, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Citing officials, the outlet said the recent “surge” in forces and assets comes as Trump considers widening the conflict against Iran.

Special operations forces have deployed to the region from their U.S. bases, according to flight-tracking data and U.S. officials, the report said.

Squadrons of jet fighters have also been staged across the Middle East.

Bomber aircraft at bases in the U.S. and U.K. are on high alert to ramp up operations, one official said.

Kuwait’s military said Wednesday that its air defense systems were intercepting Iranian drones while warning residents of explosions.

The Kuwaiti army said in a post on X that “the Kuwaiti air defenses are currently confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression.”

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosion sounds, if heard, are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” the military said.

The latest attacks come after Iran struck critical water desalination and energy facilities in Kuwait earlier this week and targeted U.S. military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

The House of Representatives narrowly passed a $1.15 trillion annual defense policy bill on Wednesday as tensions over Iran fueled debate on Capitol Hill the day before.

The measure passed 216-212, largely along party lines.

The annual defense policy bill authorizes funding for military programs and includes a provision expanding U.S.-Israel defense technology cooperation, which drew bipartisan criticism.

Democrats also raised concerns over the bill’s overall cost and the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Reports of explosions across the Middle East intensified on Wednesday, with Iranian state media reporting a U.S. missile attack near Ahvaz and explosions in multiple locations across southern Iran.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News reported that a Khuzestan province official said a location near Ahvaz was targeted in a U.S. missile attack on Wednesday.

Separately, Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that two explosions were heard in the vicinity of Bushehr, according to Reuters.

Several explosions were also reported in Sirik in southern Iran, according to Iran’s Press TV.

The reports came as Iranian missiles and drones were launched toward Jordan, including toward the Red Sea port city of Aqaba, according to The Times of Israel.

Jordan’s military said it intercepted four missiles and four drones, with explosions heard as the projectiles were shot down.

Similar interceptions were also reported over areas near Eilat in southern Israel, the outlet said.

The Houthis said Wednesday they targeted two Saudi oil tankers because of its new Red Sea blockade, Reuters reported.

The Houthis said the tankers, named ENCELA and LAYLIA, were targeted because they had “violated a naval blockade imposed by the group,” the outlet said.

The claim also came after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported receiving a report of an incident involving a tanker about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia.

“The master of a tanker reports being struck by an unknown projectile, which has caused a fire on board that the crew are currently fighting,” UKMTO said before adding that there were no casualties or environmental damage reported.

The United Kingdom has temporarily withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Iran because of the deteriorating security situation, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) announced Wednesday.

The British Embassy will continue to operate remotely.”Updated information on regional tensions, and due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran,” the FCDO said in a statement.

“The embassy continues to operate remotely,” it added.The announcement came as the FCDO reiterated its advice against all travel to Iran, urging British citizens in the country to carefully consider whether they should remain.

“FCDO advises against all travel to Iran. If you are a British national already in Iran, either a resident or a visitor, carefully consider your presence there and the risks you take by staying,” the department said in updated travel guidance.

The FCDO also warned that British and British-Iranian dual nationals face a significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention in Iran. 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Wednesday that Tehran will respond powerfully to any U.S. military attack.

“Our defense doctrine is clear: eye for an eye,” he said in a post shared on X.

“Any aggression against Iran, including against our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response,” Araghchi added.

“Those who contribute to such aggression, whatever the kind of support, will also be considered legitimate targets,” he said.

His remarks came as Iran’s top joint military command also said President Donald Trump’s threats would only expand the war “in the region and beyond,” Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media.

Iran also threatened to halt all oil flows through the Persian Gulf and target oil, gas, electricity and other economic infrastructure across the region, the outlet said.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday described the war with Iran as a “skirmish” and said Tehran wants to negotiate but is “not ready” to reach a deal because it keeps trying to alter the terms.

Speaking at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Trump also predicted Iran would eventually return to the negotiating table.

“I call it a skirmish. This is with this skirmish we have with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said.

“And I call it that because, let me tell you, they’re getting hit so hard, and they want to make a deal,” he added.

Trump said Iran has repeatedly shifted its position during negotiations.

“But I say they’re not ready to make a deal, because every time they make a deal, they want to change it and everything.”

“They’re not ready. They’ll be ready very soon,” he added.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday paid tribute to Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, calling the fallen officer a “flawless, perfect person” and thanking his parents.

Speaking at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Trump recalled meeting Feehan’s family after a transfer ceremony earlier in the day and said they were traveling to Georgia.

“Beautiful family, beautiful wife and husband and brother-in-law. And they said, ‘I’m going to Georgia.’ I said, ‘Where are you going?'” Trump said. “So if you want, I’ll give you a ride on Air Force One,” Trump said he told the family.

“And we’re here today.” Trump said he told the family they were honoring the memory of their “beautiful son.” “This is a son who was like a flawless, perfect person, beautiful, beautiful son, handsome in every way, brilliant, respected by everybody,” Trump said.

Feehan, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, was among the four U.S. service members killed in Jordan while supporting a U.S. mission. Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was also among those killed.

“Lieutenant Tyler Feehan … he was a person that was going all the way,” Trump said.

“He was going to be a general. He would have been a general very quickly. He was heading in that path.”

Trump then addressed Feehan’s family directly. “But I just want to thank Tyler’s mother, Sherry, his father, Stephen, and his uncle David. Great people. I got to know them a little bit on the plane and standing there and watching this site.”

“To Sherry and Stephen and David, we will carry Tyler’s memory in our hearts forever. I just want to thank you. It’s an honor to have you here today,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States does not need the Strait of Hormuz for its energy security, arguing that America and Venezuela together account for around 62% of the world’s oil market.

Speaking at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Trump said, “In fact, if you combine us and Venezuela, we have about 62% of the world’s oil market. So we don’t need straits, we don’t need anything, we don’t need the Strait of Hormuz.”

“But we do it because we have to do it because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Trump also said the United States was “winning” against Iran and accused its government of killing thousands of protesters over the past four months.

“We’re likewise winning in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we’re ensuring that they will never, ever be able to do to us what they’ve done to so many,” Trump said. “They’ve killed 52,000-plus protesters. People who were protesting have been killed — 52,000 over the last four months.”

New York City socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani was widely mocked by conservatives on social media Tuesday after announcing that one of his campaign platforms, arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, isn’t a tool he has at his disposal.

In a video post on X that was viewed over 36 million times, Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” while conceding that New York City could not enforce the International Criminal Court’s warrant for the Israeli leader’s arrest on its own despite the mayor saying he had looked at exploring avenues to do so.

Mamdani has often said on the campaign trail and as mayor that he wanted to arrest Netanyahu over what the mayor calls a “genocide” in Gaza.

While Mamdani’s post was well received by many on the political left, conservatives on social media quickly mocked the mayor over the situation while taking issue with his determination to enforce the ICC warrant, which the United States government does not recognize.

“Trying to find where Mamdani called for the arrest of the Hamas terrorists who plotted the October 7th attacks,” Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted on X.

“Disgusting and Disgraceful.”

“This may be the most horrific package of lies against the State of Israel ever promoted by a government official,” former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman posted on X.

This in an excerpt from a report by Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller.

Iran denied that it was harboring a secret nuclear complex at Mount Kolang, also known as “Pickaxe,” on Wednesday after President Donald Trump threatened to strike the site in the center of the country.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei also said attacks on its “peaceful nuclear facilities” violate the U.N. Charter and international law and show “the United States’ deep-rooted enmity toward Iran’s scientific progress and technological development.”

“Iran’s nuclear activities have been fully declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency in accordance with its safeguards obligations,” Baqaei said in a post on X.

“Washington’s obsessive focus on Kolang Kouh, where no nuclear activity is taking place, is nothing more than a fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction and sabotage.”

On Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. would be “hitting that area very probably pretty soon. And there’s not a thing they can do about it.”

Iran’s Parliament speaker and lead negotiator said Wednesday that if Iran is unable to sell its oil, no other country in the region will be able to do so, either.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also warned that no infrastructure in the region would remain secure unless Tehran’s own security was guaranteed.

“The equation of this war is clear: Either all or none!” Ghalibaf said in a post shared on X.

“In a region where we do not sell oil, no one will sell oil,” he added before stating that if Iran’s security “is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe, and the security of the Strait of Hormuz depends on the absence of American forces.”

“We have repeatedly said that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-war conditions,” Ghalibaf warned.

Yemen’s Houthis are preparing to strike vessels in the southern Red Sea, a maritime security group led by the U.S. Navy warned Wednesday.

This came after the militant group announced an embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday, threatening to cut off the kingdom’s oil exports through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb.

“Sources close to the group stated that the Houthis have completed preparations to attack shipping, including the deployment of missiles and drones positioned near the Bab el-Mandeb,” the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said in a notice.

Meanwhile, the European Union’s naval mission in the Middle East also warned Wednesday, “The maritime security environment remains highly volatile.

“Houthi forces continue to threaten commercial shipping associated with Israeli, U.S. and, more recently, Saudi Arabian interests.

“Missile, UAV, surface and other asymmetric attacks against merchant shipping remain a credible threat across the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden and, increasingly, the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz.”

Reuters reported that five tankers changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday after the Houthis warned ships to avoid sailing to Saudi Arabian ports.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday participated in the return of the remains of four U.S. service members killed in the Middle East last week.

Three of the soldiers were identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, and Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York. All three were killed during an Iranian attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday.

The fourth soldier was identified as Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Swinton was killed in action on Saturday during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq, the Department of War said.

A White House official said Trump would “privately meet with the families of our fallen heroes” before the dignified transfer.

During the transfer of the remains from the C-17 aircraft to awaiting vans, Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine held their salutes as the remains were slowly carried by and placed in the vans.

Trump had spoken to reporters before departing Joint Base Andrews to attend the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. When asked for his message to their families before, Trump said, “All I’m going to say is, ‘we love you. We love your child.’”

“All you can do is throw out your heart,” he said.

Since the war began on Feb. 28, 18 U.S. service members have been killed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. would “take care of things” if Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis follow through on threats to impose a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, as his administration reportedly backed Riyadh’s renewed military campaign against the group. 

His comments came after the Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia Monday, only days after Saudi forces struck Sanaa International Airport and after Iran reportedly instructed the group to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the U.S. attacks Iranian power infrastructure. 

“So far, it hasn’t happened, might happen, but we take care of things,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “If something like that happens, we take care of it.”

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran on Wednesday of flying members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into Yemen, saying Tehran’s actions helped ignite a renewed confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. 

“They decided to send direct flights from Tehran into Yemen, carrying IRGC elements and others into the country,” Rubio told reporters. “And the Saudis responded to it.” 

Rubio did not identify the flights, specify how many IRGC personnel were allegedly transported or provide evidence supporting the allegation. 

He made the remarks while attending an annual gathering of Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers in Manila, Philippines, where the U.S.-Iran conflict and threats to international shipping were among the central security concerns. 

The Houthis have declared a blockade targeting Saudi-linked vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening to widen the conflict and disrupt another critical global trade route. 

The rebels say they are targeting ships connected to Saudi Arabia or traveling to and from the kingdom’s Red Sea ports in retaliation for Saudi restrictions on Yemen and a recent attack on the airport in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz.

The American soldier believed to have been killed in Jordan during an Iranian attack is being remembered as living a “life of courage and selflessness.”

The Department of War announced that Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, N.Y., is one of the three soldiers believed to have been “killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base” in Jordan. U.S. Central Command said over the weekend that the service members died as CENTCOM and partner forces “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.”  

“Sgt. Rampersad lived a life of courage and selflessness. New York, and our nation, are safer because of brave Americans like her who answer the call to serve,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “May we honor her memory, remember her sacrifice and keep all who loved her in our prayers.”  

“My heart is with her family, loved ones and the soldiers who stood beside her as they grieve this unimaginable loss,” Hochul added.  

Two other soldiers believed to have been killed in the attack were identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas.  

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond.

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Wednesday, declaring that each time the Islamic Republic attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. will respond with a strike on an Iranian bridge or power plant.

Trump threatened that any such U.S. strikes could target Iranian infrastructure sites near or within its capital of Tehran.

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump’s post read.

Trump’s message comes after the U.S. completed an 11th straight night of strikes against the Iranian military and its facilities on Tuesday.

Diplomatic efforts have shown little public sign of progress as officials on both sides have dug in on their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passed during peacetime and remains largely closed because of Iranian attacks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Elements of the Trump administration are again debating whether the United States should support the downfall of Iran’s government as the war intensifies again, according to a recent analysis.  

The analysis, published Monday by Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman, says the discussion reportedly includes efforts to encourage an internal uprising and the possible revival of proposals to support armed Iranian opposition groups, including Kurdish factions that have fought Iran for decades. 

The question has gained urgency as the United States resumes strikes against Iranian military targets and officials debate whether continued pressure should remain narrowly focused on maritime security or evolve into a broader effort to weaken the Islamic Republic from within. 

Such a shift would present President Donald Trump with a consequential choice: continue using military and economic pressure to force Iranian concessions, or adopt the far more ambitious objective of helping Iranians remove the Islamic Republic from power. 

Trump, however, signaled Tuesday that he has not closed the door on diplomacy, saying Iran is seeking talks behind the scenes. 

“They want to meet desperately to try and end it because they’re getting decimated,” Trump told reporters during a Tuesday press conference. 

Asked what talks were possible, Trump said: “They want to desperately meet. And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest…”  

“Honestly, they haven’t seen anything yet. We’ve been nice,” the president added. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that several countries have expressed interest in joining efforts to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, though legal and political hurdles have so far prevented formal commitments.

“There are countries that have expressed interest,” Rubio told reporters while attending the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. He said some governments require legislative approval while others need authorization through an international organization before deploying naval assets.

Asked whether the U.S. had requested assistance from South Korea or other Asian allies, Rubio said Washington has discussed the issue with them in the past but did not ask directly during this week’s meetings.

“We don’t need them to do it, but we think it would be beneficial if they did,” Rubio said, adding that some allies possess “unique capabilities in terms of mine clearing and things of that nature.” He added that he believes “some of them may eventually” join the efforts.

Rubio argued participation is ultimately in many allies’ own interests because much of the oil and energy moving through the Strait is bound for Asia and other overseas markets rather than the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday credited China for taking a constructive public position on Iran, saying Beijing has supported freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz even as he declined to discuss whether China has provided any military assistance to Tehran.

Pressed on reports that China and Russia may be providing targeting information to Iran, Rubio avoided addressing the intelligence question directly but said Beijing’s actions have not changed the course of the conflict.

“I’m not going to discuss that, other than to say that nothing that China has done has in any way changed the trajectory of what you’re seeing in terms of the conflicts we’re having with Iran,” Rubio told reporters at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. “In fact, in some cases, they’ve actually been quite cooperative in terms of what they potentially could have done but didn’t do.”

Rubio later pointed to what he described as one example of that cooperation, saying Chinese officials have been “pretty clear” that they oppose any tolls or restrictions on commercial shipping through the Strait, a position he said carries significant weight.

“A statement like that from a country like China is important,” Rubio said, noting Beijing has publicly opposed interference with freedom of navigation through the international waterway.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that Iran is under significantly more internal pressure than is publicly understood, pointing to what he described as a worsening economic crisis and extensive damage to the country’s military infrastructure.

“Iran’s in a lot of trouble,” Rubio told reporters while attending the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, adding that the country’s lack of a free press obscures the extent of its problems.

He cited “hyperinflation, runaway inflation, high food costs” and said those challenges predated the current conflict but “have all gotten worse.” Rubio also said Iran has “suffered a tremendous amount of damage to their military infrastructure.”

Rubio made the comments after being asked whether the Trump administration’s strategy is to strike Iran into submission. Rubio argued the U.S. remains focused on protecting commercial shipping and degrading Iran’s ability to attack vessels transiting the Strait.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the United States remains willing to negotiate with Iran but warned there “will be consequences” if Tehran continues to violate its commitments.

Speaking at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, hours after U.S. forces completed their 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets, Rubio said Washington remains open to diplomacy but questioned whether Iran is negotiating in good faith.

“The problem we’re having right now is they’re not serious about talks. If they’re serious, we’re serious,” Rubio said. “If they’re not, then we will do what is necessary to protect our interests and also the interests of our allies.”

Rubio said Iran has demanded the right to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing Tehran has no legal authority to do so and warning that allowing it would set a dangerous international precedent.

“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway and, if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” Rubio said.

Rubio argued the “fundamental principle of freedom of navigation” is at stake.

“If that is threatened, then I think the global economy is threatened, and the rules which have underpinned 150 years of international trade and commerce are also threatened, and that cannot be allowed to happen,” he said.

While President Donald Trump has declared the ceasefire “over,” he said Tuesday that Iran wants to “desperately meet.”

Rubio echoed the president’s remarks, saying Washington remains prepared to negotiate while making clear military force remains an option.

“The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive negotiations and talks so long as the commitments that are made are kept,” he said. “When those commitments are not kept, which is what’s happened in this particular case, then there will be consequences. And that has to happen.”

President Donald Trump will attend the dignified transfer of U.S. service members killed by Iranian attacks during the war on Wednesday, according to the White House.

The ceremony will take place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware at 11 a.m. EDT, the White House said.

The Pentagon on Tuesday identified a U.S. soldier believed to have been killed during an attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York. The service member was initially listed as missing. 

The Pentagon had earlier identified two other soldiers killed in the attack: 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas. 

Another U.S. service member, identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in a separate incident in Iraq on Saturday, the U.S. Army said.

Swinton was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base, the Department of War announced. The incident remains under investigation.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed late Tuesday that its forces had completed an 11th night of strikes against the Iranian military and its facilities.

“At 8:15 p.m. ET on July 21, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) successfully completed the 11th consecutive evening of strikes against Iran,” the command said in a post on X.

“CENTCOM assets targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.

The command also said that over the past three months, Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the international waterway vital for regional and global trade.”

The unwarranted attacks have endangered hundreds of innocent mariners and undermined freedom of navigation,” CENTCOM said.