Donald Trump threatens another attack on Kharg Island and Iran's civilian infrastructure tonight, while Iranian parliament members respond with defiance, vowing that no American soldier will return alive.
On Wednesday, 8 Jul 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran's civilian infrastructure during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after previously announcing the end of a ceasefire agreement with Iran at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
"It could be a major attack, and it will utterly destroy things," Trump said during his talk with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO meeting, pointing to power plants and stating, "We will deal with those power plants. I don't want to do it, but if necessary, we will."
Trump also mentioned desalination plants vital for producing drinking water, saying, "We will destroy them if necessary. I hate to do that, and it might be the last thing I want to do as well."
Earlier, the U.S. president named Kharg Island, a crucial center for Iran's oil exports, describing orders he gave to the U.S. military: "We attacked Kharg Island the night before last, destroying part of it. I told them, ‘Don't touch the oil because maybe we will seize Kharg Island.’ I ordered, ‘Don't shoot the oil pipelines, destroy everything else,’ and they complied. Tonight, they may attack again."
On the other side, Iranian politicians have responded to Donald Trump's threats to attack Kharg Island with strong counter-statements.
Ebrahim Raisi, spokesperson for Iran's Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, posted on platform X, "Come on, we are waiting for you, and we promise that not a single American soldier will return alive."
Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, former Iranian foreign minister, warned about "this latest escalation," stating on X that Iran had already warned, "This region is not a playground for the political bets of small countries," and now Iran "is ready to pull the trigger to cleanse the region completely."
This aggressive posture from Trump comes after reports that Iran attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz multiple times over the past week, prompting the U.S. to launch new strikes against Iran on Tuesday, while Tehran responded with attacks on dozens of military targets across the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Trump also said the U.S. might reinstate a naval blockade against Iran in response to the ship attacks, a measure that had severely impacted Iran's economy before being lifted following a mutual memorandum of understanding (MOU).
Currently, negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to reach a peace agreement are stalled, partly because Iran is holding funeral ceremonies for a former supreme leader who was killed by the U.S. and Israel. The escalating tensions have further clouded the prospects for these talks.
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Source:CNN