Trump Threatens to Strike Power Plants Unless Iran Returns to Negotiation

When asked how long the military actions against Iran would last, Trump said, ‘They’ll continue until I say it’s enough.’

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on July 12, 2026. Reuters

President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the U.S. military would escalate strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure unless Tehran returns to negotiations, after a previous ceasefire collapsed.

Trump told Fox News in a July 14 interview that the United States would target Iran’s power plants next week if the Iranian regime refused to negotiate a deal to end the war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“I’ll save the energy targets for last,” the president said. “Next week, it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges.”

“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,” he continued.

When asked how long the military actions against Iran would last, Trump said: “They’ll continue until I say it’s enough.”

“I think if I didn’t do the way I’m doing, they would never make a deal,” he said. Trump reiterated that any deal reached with Iran must guarantee that Tehran cannot develop nuclear weapons.

The United States and Iran have traded rounds of missile strikes in recent days after Tehran attacked several commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military on July 14 reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports following the renewed hostilities.

This story will be updated with additional details.