DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. will destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the .
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 to target civilian infrastructure came as the spirals with no clear offramp, threatening further worldwide economic disruption and sending fuel prices up ahead of midterm U.S. elections this fall. Both sides have dug in on their dispute over the strait, a crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely closed because of Iranian attacks.
The U.S. carried out another wave of overnight into Wednesday, and air defenses opened fire over the capital, Tehran. Iran launched a missile attack on a Jordanian city on Israel鈥檚 doorstep, and alerts were issued in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
With , both sides have sought leverage by targeting civilian infrastructure. Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and that provide drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf countries.
International law generally prohibits such attacks . United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried such attacks as 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� on Tuesday.
The costs of war are mounting
The closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world鈥檚 traded oil and gas passed during peacetime, has with effects far beyond the Middle East. by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea puts another trade chokepoint at risk.
鈥淔rom 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,鈥� Trump wrote on social media.
Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the arrival of the remains of four U.S. service members. A day earlier, his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, estimated in a fiery Senate hearing that the U.S. had spent $37.5 billion on the war so far.
Benchmark Brent crude oil in trading. That’s up from less than $72 early this month, which is roughly where it was before the war. Gasoline prices .
Attacks shake Iran and Jordan
Jordan鈥檚 military said it intercepted four Iranian missiles over Aqaba, while two others fell in 鈥渦ninhabited areas.鈥� Plumes of smoke could be seen overhead in videos filmed by people in the nearby Israeli city of Eilat. Jordan said it also intercepted four Iranian drones.
Iran has avoided striking Israel since hostilities resumed last month, apparently hoping to keep it from reentering the war. But the attack on Aqaba, within sight of Israel鈥檚 Eilat, raised concerns over a further widening of the conflict after .
Another missile alert sounded in Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia warned residents of the Persian Gulf city of Dammam to seek shelter. Saudi authorities later said the danger had passed, without elaborating.
The U.S. military said earlier Wednesday that it had completed an 11th night of strikes on Iran, with targets including aircraft hangars and drone storage sites.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported explosions across several provinces. Iran’s Health Ministry says U.S. strikes over the past 11 days have killed 53 people, including six women and three children, and wounded nearly 600 people.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insisted its retaliatory attacks would continue.
Diplomatic efforts show no signs of progress
Before the latest strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revive diplomacy. But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war, which lately has become a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Zeinivand said 鈥渄iplomacy isn鈥檛 called off鈥� and that messages were still being exchanged, without elaborating, according to IRNA.
At a in the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Iran鈥檚 actions in the strait.
鈥淚f we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don鈥檛 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,鈥� he said.
In response to Iran鈥檚 attacks, the U.S. re-imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
Trump signals US may attack underground nuclear site
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump gave a dim view on possible talks, saying the U.S. had 鈥渘o interest in meeting.鈥�
He signaled that U.S. forces could soon target buried deep under a mountain.
The site, known as Pickaxe Mountain, lies on the south side of Iran鈥檚 Natanz nuclear enrichment site, which was bombed by the U.S. during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in 2025. But Pickaxe Mountain has remained untouched as Iran continues to dig at the site.
Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, while resuming the to near weapons-grade levels since Trump during his first term. The U.S. and others believe Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003 and may reconstitute it in the future.
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Binkley reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut, and Michelle L. Price and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.
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