Trump: US could destroy Iran's bridges, power plants within 4 hours
A view of the B1 bridge is pictured, a day after it was destroyed by a strike in Karaj, around 20 miles southwest of Tehran on Apr. 3. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Apr. 2 the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages." AFP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States could destroy all of Iran's bridges and power plants within four hours if Tehran does not comply with his ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said the U.S. has a plan whereby "every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business."
He said this "complete demolition" could happen "over a period of four hours if we wanted to," adding: "we don't want that to happen."
The U.S. president has repeatedly issued - and delayed - a deadline for Tehran to lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Iran would otherwise face attacks on energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure.
On Sunday, he finally set the deadline for Tuesday evening (Wednesday 0000 GMT).
The Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial to the global oil and gas trade, has been largely closed since the U.S. and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran on February 28.