Iran Parliament Speaker Warns No Infrastructure Will Be Safe After Trump Threat
A top Iranian official warned on July 22 that "no infrastructure will be safe" if the United States follows through on President Donald Trump's threat to strike Iranian bridges and power plants in response to attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
"If our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe," Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament and the lead negotiator in cease-fire talks, wrote on X. "The equation of this war is clear: Either all or no one! In a region where we don't sell oil, no one will sell oil."
Qalibaf also said security in the Strait of Hormuz could only be restored "in the absence of American forces," adding that "the situation in the strait will not return to the way it was before the war."
His comments came after Trump warned the United States would retaliate against any Iranian attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz by bombing Iranian infrastructure.
"From 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," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Earlier, Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, cited an unnamed military source reporting that Iran would respond to any US strikes on its infrastructure by targeting infrastructure and bridges elsewhere in the region.
Iran Threatens Regional Energy Targets If Infrastructure Attacked
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi issued a warning on July 22 that any US strikes on Iranian infrastructure would trigger retaliation against regional targets.
Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, said in a message carried by Iranian media said a blackout affecting US allies and partners in the region would be "certain" if Iran's bridges and power plants were targeted.
The IRGC Navy commander also warned against the use of what he described as "alternative routes" through the Strait of Hormuz, calling them unsafe and saying their use would have "severe and irreparable consequences." An IRGC spokesman separately warned shipping companies against using the southern route through the strait, claiming it had been mined, according to Iranian media.
Araqchi wrote on X that any attack on Iranian infrastructure would face a response with "no limits."
The warnings came hours after US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that any Iranian attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz would be met with US strikes on Iranian bridges or power plants.
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which oversees military operations, also warned that Iran's armed forces would prevent oil exports and target regional oil, gas, electricity, and economic infrastructure if US threats were carried out.
Iran Parliament Speaker Warns No Infrastructure Will Be Safe After Trump Threat
A top Iranian official warned on July 22 that "no infrastructure will be safe" if the United States follows through on President Donald Trump's threat to strike Iranian bridges and power plants in response to attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
"If our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe," Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament and the lead negotiator in cease-fire talks, wrote on X. "The equation of this war is clear: Either all or no one! In a region where we don't sell oil, no one will sell oil."
Qalibaf also said security in the Strait of Hormuz could only be restored "in the absence of American forces," adding that "the situation in the strait will not return to the way it was before the war."
His comments came after Trump warned the United States would retaliate against any Iranian attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz by bombing Iranian infrastructure.
"From 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," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Earlier, Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, cited an unnamed military source reporting that Iran would respond to any US strikes on its infrastructure by targeting infrastructure and bridges elsewhere in the region.
Iraq Reports Losses Of $45 Billion In Oil Exports
Iraq has lost an estimated $40 billion to $45 billion in revenue since the outbreak of the US-Iran war, largely because of a sharp drop in oil exports following the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iraqi official said on July 22.
Mazhar Saleh, financial adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said Iraq's oil exports had fallen by about 90 percent, resulting in losses of up to $45 billion as of June. If the conflict and disruptions to shipping continue, losses could rise to around $50 billion, he said.
The conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guarda Corps (IRGC), has severely disrupted oil shipments and affected production across the region.
Before the conflict, Iraq produced about 4 million barrels of crude oil per day and exported roughly 3.5 million barrels daily, most of it through the Strait of Hormuz. Since then, Baghdad has sharply reduced production as storage facilities filled, redirecting limited exports through alternative routes, including pipelines to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan and overland shipments through Syria.
Iraqi Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said the ministry's monthly transfers to the state treasury had fallen from $7–8 billion before the conflict to about $1.5 billion today.
Oil exports typically account for about 90 percent of Iraq's government revenue.
Iran Says Death Toll From Latest US Attacks Exceeds 50
Iran's Health Ministry said more than 50 people have been killed in the latest wave of US attacks on the country.
Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X that 53 people had been killed and 592 injured in US attacks on Iran between June 27 and the early hours of July 22.
He said six of those killed were women and three were under the age of 18.
Kermanpour added that 36 of the wounded remain hospitalized.
He did not specify whether the figures include military personnel killed or wounded in the attacks, or whether they refer only to civilians.
Bulgarian Parliament Approves Deployment Of US Tanker Aircraft
The Bulgarian parliament has approved the temporary deployment of up to eight US refueling aircraft and 250 military personnel at one of its air bases.
The proposal, which followed a request from the Bulgarian prime minister, was approved on July 22 with 136 votes in favor, 13 against, and two abstentions. US aircraft and military forces will be stationed at the Bessemer base from July 24 to October 1.
On July 21, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei warned Bulgaria about Washington's use of its bases, saying any participation and cooperation in the preparation and execution of US attacks "will be tantamount to complicity in committing the crime of aggression and war crimes."
Bulgarian officials have said the planes will be used for refueling missions and no offensive weapons will be stationed at the base.
Iran Continues Executions Amid Protest By Death Row Inmates
Iran executed a man it accused of carrying out "operational actions" during nationwide protests at the start of the year as the country's leadership ratchets up its crackdown on dissent, sparking a hunger strike among hundreds of death row inmates.
The Iranian judiciary's official Mizan news agency said 26-year-old law graduate Mehdi Khaneki was executed on July 22 for alleged weapons offenses and actions that "benefited" Israel, the United States, and "hostile groups."
The Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the political arm of Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), disputed the charges, saying Khaneki was hanged because of his membership in the group and participating in protests in the city of Karaj.
To read the full report, click here.
Trump Threatens US Will Attack Bridge Or Power Plant For Each Ship Targeted in Strait
US President Donald Trump threatened on July 22 that Washington "will bomb and destroy" a bridge or power plant inside Iran, including in the capital, each time Tehran targets a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
"From 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," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump's statement came as shipping in the Strait of Hormuz remained disrupted amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with Tehran and Washington exchanging air attacks.
It is not the first time the US president has ratcheted up pressure on Tehran over its interference with vessel transit in the crucial waterway. The White House has repeatedly said the substantial negotiations between the countries to end the conflict cannot move forward while Iran threatens traffic in the strait.
Rubio Says Iran-Backed Houthis' Red Sea Blockade 'Problematic'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran the "troublemaker" of the Gulf region and said any attempt by its Yemen proxy Houthi rebels to follow through on their threat to block shipping transit in the Red Sea would be "problematic."
"Anything that restricts shipping through the Red Sea would be problematic for the same reasons that the Strait of Hormuz is problematic," Rubio told reporters in the Philippines on July 22 where he was meeting with Asian foreign ministers.
The top US diplomat's comments came two days after the Iran-backed Houthis said they would impose a blockade on ships from Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world's biggest oil exporter, if they tried to pass through the Red Sea, a move that threatened to raise more pressure on global energy markets.
To read the full report, click here.
Bahrain Says Iran Attacks Are 'Criminal'
Bahrain said on July 22 that its military forces had intercepted Iran's "criminal" attacks on the country, adding that all of its air defense systems remained "fully prepared" for further defensive operations.
"The deliberate use of missiles and unmanned aircraft to target civilians and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," Bahrain's Defense Forces said in a statement published on X.
The development came as the war in the Middle East had escalated over the past week, with US forces targeting Iran's southern and western regions and Tehran attacking US sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Earlier in the day, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had "successfully completed" an 11th consecutive night of strikes, targeting "Iranian operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure."
Iran, for its part, confirmed that it had attacked Jordan and Kuwait.
Rubio Says China Has Done Nothing To Change Trajectory of Iran War
- By Colin Hood
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that “nothing China has done has changed the trajectory” of the conflict in the Middle East during a meeting with Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on July 22.
The two met on the sidelines of this year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila.
Rubio added that in some ways “China has been cooperative in Iran.”
US President Donald Trump had previously praised Chinese leader Xi Jinping for “not getting involved” in the war during the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, where he also said that the peace agreement between Washington and Tehran was “over.”
China has attempted to mediate the conflict from afar via close ally Pakistan since the start of the war. Wang Yi thanked Islamabad for its “indispensable role” in coordinating peace efforts during a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, on July 16.
He added that Beijing will "continue to play a constructive role" to de-escalate the conflict.
Wang has spoken with authorities from countries affected by the war in the Middle East over 30 times.
The US has previously targeted China’s independent “teapot” oil refineries for continuing to buy Iranian oil since the war began on February 28.
The US Treasury Department sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, the second largest “teapot” refinery, on April 24 for playing “an outsized role in purchasing crude oil from Iran's armed forces.”
