Trump threatens to target Iranian power plants, as Tehran vows to 'confront any hostility'

Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold their next round of U.S.-brokered talks on 4 August in Italy, a Lebanese official told Reuters on Wednesday, as the two countries begin implementing a plan for Israeli withdrawals and Lebanese army deployments in southern Lebanon.

The two longtime foes have held more than three months of face-to-face talks, billed as a way to put a permanent end to hostilities since a new war erupted on 2 March between Israel and Hezbollah, triggered by the wider regional conflict.

The ambassador-level direct meetings are unusual for countries that remain formally at war and have had no normal diplomatic relations through decades of invasion, military occupation and cross-border conflict.

Five meetings hosted by the United States produced a framework deal late last month which foresees the disarmament of Hezbollah, the progressive withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon and the deployment of Lebanese troops.

The ambassador-level talks have since moved to the Italian capital so delegations could discuss the technical details and guidelines of the pilot zones -- the term for the geographical areas where that phased process would be implemented.

U.S. President Donald Trump will attend a ceremony for four U.S. service members who returned to American soil in flag-draped caskets on Wednesday after being killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East.

The ceremony, known as a "dignified transfer" of the bodies, comes amid growing frustration with Trump's war against Iran. The war has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $37.5 billion so far, has led to the deaths of 18 U.S. service members and injured more than 450 troops. It has killed thousands of Iranians.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have raised questions about the war, which has caused global oil prices to rise and shows no signs of ending. Since the war started in February, Trump has offered differing objectives for the war.

The U.S. president traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the ceremony. "So we're going to honor them. And one of the hardest things to do for me is too much, but has to be done," Trump said before leaving for the ceremony

US President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to knock out one Iranian bridge or power plant in return for each attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, warning he was "not finished" with a war that has already cost Washington $37.5 billion.

Fighting over the strait led to the collapse of a preliminary deal between the United States and Iran, and Tehran has reimposed its blockade on the strategic conduit for oil and gas shipments, firing on vessels that seek to transit.

The blockade has rattled markets and sent oil prices climbing, adding to the pressure on Trump to find an off-ramp to a conflict that has hit Americans' pocketbooks heading into closely-fought midterm elections.

"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 on social media, reiterating his longstanding threat to go after Iranian infrastructure.