World
US President Trump vows to hit more Iranian infrastructure
Trump posted footage on social media showing dust and smoke billowing up as U.S. strikes hit the newly constructed B1 bridge between Tehran and nearby Karaj
Washington: President Donald Trump threatened to extend attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran after a U.S. strike cut a major highway bridge on Thursday, prompting a defiant response from Iran, which hit a water plant in Kuwait and said more would follow.
On Thursday, Trump posted footage on social media showing dust and smoke billowing up as U.S. strikes hit the newly constructed B1 bridge between Tehran and nearby Karaj, which was due to open to traffic this year.
"Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!," he wrote in a subsequent post.
In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would hit "all assets of the Israeli regime and the U.S. in fuel, energy, economic centres, and power plants across the region". It said countries hosting U.S. bases should make them leave.
The Iranian military also said it had shot down a U.S. F-35 fighter jet over central Iran. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.
Iran attacks Kuwait water plant
As the two sides exchanged taunts, an Iranian attack on Friday hit a water desalination and power plant in Kuwait, a major U.S. ally in the region, causing material damage to parts of the facility, Kuwait's electricity and water ministry said.
Nearly five weeks after the war started with a joint U.S.-Israeli aerial assault, Trump is under pressure to find a quick resolution. Negotiations conducted via intermediaries with new leaders in Iran have shown little sign of progress, and pessimism at home has been growing, with polls showing most Americans opposed to the war.
At the same time, the economic impact has been ratcheting up sharply around the world, with Iran's grip on the strategic shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz giving it a choke hold on oil and gas supplies vital to the global economy.
As he threatened more attacks, Trump said Iran's leadership "knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!"
But there has been little sign of acquiescence from Tehran.
"Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said.
For its part, Iran has continued to strike targets around the Gulf, increasing the already heavy cost of the war on the region and the global economy.