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.

Trump also said that the United States was closely monitoring activity at Pickaxe Mountain, a highly fortified Iranian nuclear site.

“We have cameras on it. There’s very little activity there. But if there’s even just a small amount, we’ll hit it and we’ll hit it hard,” the president said.

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.

“There are currently more than 20 U.S. Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.

Iran’s armed forces retaliated by targeting multiple U.S. military bases located in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.

Kuwait’s military said its air defense systems intercepted to Iran’s “hostile drone attacks” on July 15 and urged residents to follow safety instructions issued by the authorities.

“Kuwaiti air defenses are currently confronting hostile drone attacks following the criminal Iranian aggression,” the army stated in a post on X.

The Trump administration signed a memorandum of understanding with Tehran on June 17 to halt the war that began in late February when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran to dismantle its nuclear program.

Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran over on July 7 after it attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the key maritime chokepoint where Tehran has asserted control and restricted vessel traffic. But he said negotiations with Iran could continue.