‘Next week it gets really bad’: Trump threatens to wipe out Iran’s bridges, power plants in dramatic escalation

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 15, 2026 06:54 PM IST

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo)

US President Donald Trump threatened to expand military operations against Iran by targeting the country’s bridges and power plants if Tehran refuses to return to nuclear negotiations, warning that “next week it gets really bad” as the conflict entered its fourth straight day.

“Next week it gets really bad for them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News, adding, “We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”

Trump’s comments come as the two nations exchange fire for the fourth day in a row. The US president warned that the country would hit Iran “very hard” if it does not return to talks.

Humanitarian protections under international law

According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, during a war situation, attacks on sites considered essential for civilians are prohibited on humanitarian grounds.

“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight. We’re going to hit them very hard tomorrow night. We’re going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them.”

Speaking with FOX News’ @TreyYingst, President Trump warned that Iran’s energy… pic.twitter.com/ieHMeZ76oC

— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 14, 2026

Naval blockade remains active despite toll reversal

Trump had earlier reversed his decision to impose a 20 per cent toll on all cargo being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, but said that the US military would continue the Iranian naval blockade.

.@POTUS: “It just never stops… They wanted a nuclear weapon. We knew they wanted a nuclear weapon.”@TreyYingst: “They said they didn’t want a nuclear weapon.”@POTUS: “Everything they say is a lie. They lie — I’ve never seen anything like it.” pic.twitter.com/Ka78vBigKP

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 14, 2026

He said the critical waterway is open for all ships, except for Iranian vessels.

CENTCOM executes successive strikes near strategic strait

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has carried out consecutive strikes in the past several days near the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump has said that military operations against Iran would continue until he determines it is “enough”.

In an interview on Special Report with Bret Baier, which aired on Tuesday night, Trump said, “I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets.”

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Stern warnings relayed to Tehran amid regional retaliation

The Republican leader further added that US negotiators had conveyed to Iranian counterparts that they “better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left”.

Iran has also retaliated against the US attack by striking at American military bases in the Gulf region, including countries like Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait.

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