Iranian official says Tehran would respond to US attacks by sparking power outages in countries hosting US troops.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump has warned that the United States military will target Iran\u2019s civilian infrastructure each time Tehran\u2019s forces fire at a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n If the warning, issued on Wednesday, materialises, it would represent a major escalation in the conflict, which is already spiralling across the region.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n \u201cFrom this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,\u201d Trump wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for your attention to this matter!\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has previously said the US would bomb Iran\u2019s bridges and power stations, going as far as threatening to wipe out the country\u2019s civilisation<\/a>, but Wednesday\u2019s statement is more specific than his previous threats.<\/p>\n Majid Mousavi, head of the Aerospace Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned that if Iran\u2019s power stations are hit, Tehran would retaliate against countries that host US troops.<\/p>\n \u201cIf our bridges and power plants are attacked, the power outage of the allies and hosts of the child killers is certain,\u201d Mousavi said in a statement.<\/p>\n The US and Iran have been exchanging attacks for the past 12 days as the memorandum of understanding<\/a> (MoU) that was supposed to end the war between the two sides got derailed over the fate of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Iran has claimed sovereignty over the strategic waterway, arguing that the MoU gives Iran the authority to manage the strait. The Trump administration, however, has insisted that the Hormuz must return to its status before the conflict as an international, free passageway.<\/p>\n