Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and energy infrastructure on Thursday (local time) as the war dragged into its fifth week despite the US president’s claims of ongoing negotiations.
“Our military, the largest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the world, has not even begun to destroy what is left of Iran (sic),” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, hinting that more military action is to come.
“Next are the bridges, then the electric plants!” the US president threatened, adding: “The New Regime leadership knows what needs to be done and they need to do it, FAST! (sic)”
Trump has previously said repeatedly that the vast majority of major military targets in Iran have already been damaged or destroyed in the last month of the war, which began on February 28, triggered by US-Israeli strikes against Tehran.
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Scrolling timelines
Since the beginning of the war, Trump has offered to push back the timetables for completing America’s goals in Iran and even declared victory several times.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump also warned of escalation in a televised address and threatened broad strikes against infrastructure and energy facilities – “Over the next two to three weeks, we’re going to hit them extremely hard. We’re going to put them back in the Stone Age where they belong,” the US president said.
During the speech, Trump also claimed that Washington was close to achieving its goals, but refrained from offering a specific timeline.
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Is the US committing war crimes?
Trump’s latest threat to Iran – warning of strikes against infrastructure – is likely to alarm US legal experts, who warned in a recent open letter that Washington’s strikes could amount to war crimes.
More than 100 US international law experts, including from leading universities such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford and the University of California, said in a letter released Thursday that the conduct of US forces and statements by senior US officials “raise serious concerns about violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including potential war crimes.”
The 1949 Geneva Conventions on the Humanitarian Conduct in War prohibit attacks on places deemed essential to civilians.
Talks between Washington and Tehran continue
Trump’s comment also comes amid reported talks between Washington and Tehran – Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Thursday that indirect talks had taken place between US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, adding that Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, was mediating the talks.
The latest round of talks took place on Tuesday, when Vance reportedly told Tehran that Washington would be open to a ceasefire if the Strait of Hormuz was reopened.
The Times of Israel reported that Vance also informed Tehran of Trump’s waning patience, as seen in the US president’s latest social media post.
