U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants by 12 p.m. Tuesday (Washington time) if Tehran does not reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and reach a peace deal with the United States, warning that "the entire country can be taken out in one night."
He reiterated the threats during a press conference ahead of his latest deadline to reopen the strait, set for 8 p.m. Tuesday, while criticizing South Korea, Japan, Australia and NATO allies for not providing military support to help clear the waterway.
"We have a plan because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again," he said.
"I mean complete demolition by 12 o'clock, and it will happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to," he added.
Trump emphasized that he does not desire to carry out the attacks, saying, "We don't want that to happen," as he seeks a negotiated settlement to end the conflict.
"Do I want to do that? No. Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No," he said.
"It will take them 100 years to rebuild right now. If we left today, it would take them 20 years to rebuild their country, and it would never be as good as it was, and the only way they're going to be able to rebuild their country is to utilize the genius of the United States of America."
Trump’s repeated threats to target Iranian civilian infrastructure have raised questions about potential violations of international law, which generally prohibits attacks on civilian targets unless they are used for military purposes.
He continued to underline the threat, stating, "The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night."
Trump again criticized South Korea, Japan, Australia and NATO countries for not agreeing to his request to provide naval assistance to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, including sending warships to escort merchant vessels through the waterway.