Five weeks into a war that began when American and Israeli strikes hit Tehran on 28 February, the conflict has reached the ordinary arteries of Iranian life. A bridge linking the capital to Karaj became the latest casualty of a campaign both sides describe in irreconcilable terms: Washington calls it a supply line for missiles and drones, while Tehran says it was not even open and that civilians celebrating Nowruz paid the price. As the president speaks of deals and new targets, Iran's leaders answer with the language of a whole nation standing armed, leaving the question of whether talks can
Trump Threatens Iran's Bridges and Power Plants as War Enters Fifth Week Amid Stalled Talks
At least eight people were reportedly killed and dozens wounded in the bridge strike, including civilians outdoors during Nowruz, per Iranian officials.
"Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!"
Mark
Trump named bridges and power plants as next. Why does that matter beyond the usual threats?
Mimi
Because the B1 strike already happened. The threat comes after a demonstrated action, and Iranian officials say at least eight people died and dozens were hurt.
Luke
Careful, though. That toll is from Iranian officials. The reporting doesn't give us an independent count.
Mark
And the two sides disagree on what the bridge was?
Mimi
Yes. A US military official called it a planned supply route for missile and drone forces. Iranian state media said it wasn't yet operational and wasn't used by the military.
Luke
Both are attributed claims. Nothing here confirms either one.
Mark
Trump says talks are ongoing. Iran says they're impossible.
Mimi
That's the gap. A foreign ministry spokesman said negotiations were impossible under current conditions.
Luke
So we have Trump's claim of talks and no confirmation from the other side. What the talks consist of, if anything, is unknown.
Mark
What about the wider picture?
Mimi
Israel intercepted Iranian missiles, the Houthis fired at Israel, and Russia, China and France blocked the Hormuz force resolution.
Luke
And whether the power plant threat is a plan or rhetoric, the source doesn't say.
O Pulso
- A US strike on the B1 bridge between Tehran and Karaj has reportedly killed at least eight people and wounded dozens, sharpening the anger on both sides.
- Trump has announced that bridges come next, then electric power plants, and says much more is to follow while insisting that talks are under way.
- Tehran has flatly rejected negotiations as impossible under current conditions and has vowed that every Iranian will fight as a soldier.
- The fighting now spills across borders, with missiles fired at Israel and a Houthi launch, while a UN Security Council push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked.
- The next moves to watch are whether threatened strikes on power infrastructure proceed and whether the Security Council deadlock breaks, with no sign yet of either path easing.
Five weeks into a war that began when American and Israeli strikes hit Tehran on 28 February, the conflict has reached the ordinary arteries of Iranian life. A bridge linking the capital to Karaj became the latest casualty of a campaign both sides describe in irreconcilable terms: Washington calls it a supply line for missiles and drones, while Tehran says it was not even open and that civilians celebrating Nowruz paid the price. As the president speaks of deals and new targets, Iran's leaders answer with the language of a whole nation standing armed, leaving the question of whether talks can begin, or whether the next strikes will simply deepen the silence.
On a Friday in early April, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the next targets in the war with Iran would be bridges, then electric power plants. The war had entered its fifth week, and he said the American military had "not even started" destroying what remained, urging Iran's leadership to act quickly. Even as he spoke of negotiations, the message carried a clear threat.
The threat followed a real strike. US forces hit the B1 bridge, a major highway linking Tehran and Karaj. American officials said it was a planned supply route for Iran's missile and drone forces. Iranian state media said the bridge was not yet operational and was not being used by the military. Iranian officials reported at least eight people killed and dozens wounded, including civilians outdoors for the Nowruz holiday. The two accounts have not been reconciled.
Trump celebrated the strike online, declaring the bridge had come down for good and that more would follow, while urging Iran to make a deal before it was too late. Tehran answered defiantly. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf said every Iranian would become a soldier in defense of the homeland, and a foreign ministry spokesman called negotiations impossible under current conditions.
The conflict is spreading. Iranian authorities said the Pasteur Institute, a major public health facility, was struck, which a health ministry spokesman called a direct assault on international health security. Israel reported intercepting missiles from Iran, and the Houthis launched a missile toward Israel. At the UN Security Council, Russia, China and France blocked an effort to authorise force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. For now, the open questions are whether the threatened strikes on power plants will follow and whether the diplomatic deadlock will shift.
On Friday, Indian Standard Time, President Donald Trump posted a message on Truth Social that named the next targets in the war with Iran: "Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!" The war had entered its fifth week, and the post came even as Trump kept saying that negotiations were under way.
In the same post, Trump said the American military had "not even started" destroying what was left in Iran. He added that Iran's "New Regime leadership knows what has to be done," and that it had to be done fast. He has said repeatedly that the vast majority of Iran's major military targets have already been damaged or destroyed since the war began on 28 February, when US and Israeli strikes hit Tehran.
The bridge threat followed an actual strike. US forces hit the B1 bridge, a major highway link between Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj. A US military official said the target was a planned military supply route for Iran's missile and drone forces, and US officials described the strike as part of a wider effort to disrupt Iranian military logistics and stop missile and drone components from moving across the country.
Iranian state media gave a different account. It said the bridge was not yet operational and was not being used by the military. Iranian officials said at least eight people were killed and dozens wounded, among them civilians who were outdoors for the Nowruz holiday. These casualty figures come from Iranian officials, and the two sides' accounts of what the bridge was have not been reconciled.
Trump celebrated the strike online. "The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow!" he wrote, and he urged Iran to "MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."
Tehran's answer was defiant. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf said that in defending the homeland, every Iranian would become a soldier, and that Iranians were "armed, ready and standing." A foreign ministry spokesman said negotiations with Washington were "impossible under current conditions," which leaves Trump's claim of ongoing talks sitting against Iran's flat refusal.
The bridge was not the only infrastructure hit. Iranian authorities said an airstrike struck the Pasteur Institute of Iran, a major public health facility. A health ministry spokesman called it a "direct assault on international health security."
The fighting has spread beyond Iran's borders. Israel said it intercepted missiles fired from Iran, and the Houthis in Yemen launched a missile toward Israel. Diplomacy has also stalled: Russia, China and France blocked an effort at the UN Security Council to authorise force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
What to watch next is whether the threatened strikes on electric power plants go ahead, and whether the deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz at the Security Council shifts.
Citações Notáveis
Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!— President Donald Trump, on Truth Social
Negotiations are impossible under current conditions.— Iranian foreign ministry spokesman
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