US Strikes Iran for Fourth Day as Tehran Vows 'Decisive Response' and Trump Threatens Power Plants, Bridges

Washington DC / Tehran / Gulf Region – The United States launched strikes on Iran for a fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, as Tehran vowed a "decisive response" and President Donald Trump threatened to target Iran's power plants and bridges if no deal is reached, pushing the region closer to all-out war.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said US attacks would continue to increase in severity until a deal was reached. "We're going to knock out all their power plants," he said. "We're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate."

US Central Command (Centcom) said the latest strikes were aimed at "degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping" in the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas where Tehran has repeatedly carried out attacks on civilian vessels.

Iran's 'Decisive Response'

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that seven personnel were killed in US strikes on an Iranian military base in Bampur in the country's south-east. Quoting the Iranian army, the news agency reported that a number of personnel were also wounded and vowed a "decisive response" to the attack.

More than 30 people have been killed in southern Iran in recent days, said government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, as the US launched a fresh round of strikes targeting the country's south. More than 260 people have been injured in the recent wave of US attacks, according to the Iranian health ministry, with six of the wounded being children.

Bushehr Under Attack

For a second day in a row, US strikes targeted Iran's southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant, according to the state news agency IRNA quoting a local official.

"In continuation of the brutality of the American enemy, three points in the city of Bushehr were attacked today," Mohammad Mozaffari, the governor of Bushehr, was quoted as saying. He added that there were no reports of casualties.

Last Thursday, Iranian authorities said a US projectile hit an area close to the nuclear power plant. It was unclear whether the reported strike caused any damage to the facility.

Iran Strikes US Allies

In a flare-up that entered the fifth day, the US Central Command (Centcom) said it struck dozens of Iranian military targets near the strait and elsewhere along the country's coast to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews".

Iran responded by targeting American allies including Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted what it described as command-and-control, logistics, fuel and military equipment facilities belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that Iranian forces launched a drone attack on a military base in Jordan that hosts American warplanes, while the IRGC had hit US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.

Kuwait's state news agency (Kuna) reported that a fire had been brought under control by the army and national guard at an undisclosed location that it said was targeted in an Iranian attack. Jordan's army said early Wednesday that its air defences intercepted and shot down three ballistic missiles that entered its airspace.

Iran Threatens Energy Exports

Iran's Revolutionary Guards paramilitary threatened earlier on Wednesday to halt all energy exports from the Middle East over the US blockade. "The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one," it said.

When Trump announced the return of the blockade on Monday, he also said he would impose a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait. But he dropped the plan to collect fees hours before resuming the blockade, citing requests from allies in the Gulf.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the US decision to renew the blockade "has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum." Days of retaliatory strikes continue to push the region back into all-out war.

US Senate Democrats Block Defense Bill

US Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked the advancement of a must-pass defense bill in protest of Donald Trump's resumption of hostilities with Iran. The hold-up of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) comes amid the fiercest exchange of fire between the countries in weeks, which has amplified frustration among Democrats that the US remains involved in the conflict despite the passage last month of a war powers resolution intended to force a ceasefire.

Indian National Confirmed Dead

An Indian national who went missing after an attack on commercial vessel GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman is dead, his father-in-law said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Of the 11 Indians on board, 10 were rescued, the Indian foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Netanyahu to Travel to US

Reuters news agency, citing a senior Israeli official, has reported that Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the US on Saturday. The official told Reuters that the Israeli prime minister wants to meet US President Donald Trump, but it is not clear if he will.

If confirmed, it would be the first time Netanyahu has visited the US since the war against Iran began. His last visit was in February, about two weeks before the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu is expected to attend memorial events for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who he described as one of Israel's "greatest friends." Graham died of a "brief and sudden illness" on Saturday, according to his office.