TRUMP ESCALATES PRESSURE ON TEHRAN

President Donald Trump on Thursday sharpened his threat against Iran by publicly celebrating the destruction of a major bridge and warning that more infrastructure could be hit unless Tehran accepts a deal, a move that deepened concern over the direction of the conflict and added to volatility across energy and financial markets. In a social media post, Trump said “the biggest bridge in Iran” had come down and declared that “much more” could follow, while urging Tehran to negotiate before it was “too late”.

The statement marked a harder turn in a campaign that has already unsettled governments and investors far beyond the Gulf. Reuters reported that Trump’s latest warning followed a televised pledge a day earlier that military action would continue, undermining hopes of a swift diplomatic off-ramp and fuelling fears of a broader economic shock tied to the conflict and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.

At the centre of the latest flare-up was a strike on an unfinished bridge in Iran that Trump promoted online with video footage. Reuters said the attack formed part of a wider threat to target bridges and electric power facilities, while Iranian state media reported fatalities and injuries from the strike. The episode has drawn sharp scrutiny because bridges and power plants are generally treated as civilian infrastructure unless shown to serve a direct military purpose.

Tehran has yet to show any sign that public coercion will bring it quickly to terms. Instead, the latest exchange appears to have reinforced Iran’s argument that Washington is escalating pressure while speaking the language of negotiations. That tension has become a defining feature of the crisis: the White House has framed attacks as leverage for a deal, while Iran and a range of foreign governments have treated the threats as evidence that diplomacy is being pushed aside by military brinkmanship.

Markets responded with caution rather than confidence. Oil prices climbed sharply after Trump signalled that the fighting would not end soon, with Brent crude moving above $109 a barrel and U. S. crude also posting strong gains, according to Reuters market reports. The dollar strengthened as investors sought safety, while major equity markets came under pressure and Gulf bourses ended lower amid concern that a prolonged conflict could damage trade, shipping and regional growth.

The economic anxiety is tied not only to the war itself but to the strategic importance of Hormuz. Any sustained threat to shipping through the waterway risks feeding inflation, disrupting supply chains and increasing energy costs for Asia, Europe and Africa. Reuters reported that governments dependent on Gulf flows have been searching for ways to restore passage, while the diplomatic debate at the United Nations has centred on maritime security as much as on the conflict inside Iran.

Trump’s language has also reopened legal and political questions about the scope of legitimate wartime targeting. Reuters cited legal experts warning that deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure could violate the laws of war if they are not justified by an immediate military objective. That debate is likely to intensify if Washington follows through on threats to hit more bridges, power networks or oil-linked facilities in a bid to force concessions from Tehran.

For Trump, the calculation appears to be that visible damage can compel a settlement faster than prolonged talks. Yet the risk is that each new threat raises the political cost for Iran’s leadership of entering negotiations under pressure. It also makes it harder for U. S. partners to defend Washington’s approach, especially as they face the knock-on effects in fuel prices, currency markets and maritime insurance. Reuters reported that even as oil-producing states benefited from higher crude prices, equity investors across the Gulf remained uneasy about the wider fallout.