Donald Trump has exuberantly announced that the United States has ‘obliterated’ Iran’s Kharg Island, following Tehran’s stern warnings of retaliation should the island’s oil facilities come under threat.
The former president shared his triumphant remarks on Friday night through his Truth Social platform, highlighting the major military action.
“Just moments ago, under my orders, the United States Central Command carried out one of the most significant bombing missions in Middle Eastern history, completely destroying every military target on Iran’s prized Kharg Island,” Trump stated.
He noted that, out of ‘decency,’ the island’s oil infrastructure was spared in the attack, though he didn’t rule out targeting it if Iran acts provocatively.
“Nevertheless, if Iran or any other entity disrupts the free and safe transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, I will quickly reassess this stance,” he warned.
Trump subsequently shared what appeared to be footage of the operation. The Daily Mail has sought comments from both the White House and the Pentagon regarding these developments.
The Iranian military responded that oil and energy infrastructure owned by US-linked firms would be ‘immediately be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes’ if the United States struck its oil facilities, according to Iranian media.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned on Thursday that attacks on the islands on Iran´s southern maritime frontier would cause Iran to ‘abandon all restraint,’ underscoring how central they are to the country´s economy and security.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported at least 15 explosions with thick smoke rising over Kharg Island, earlier hit by US strikes.
It said the strikes targeted an air defense facility, a naval base, the airport control tower, and an offshore oil company’s helicopter hangar, adding no oil infrastructure was damaged in the attack.
Kharg Island, Qeshm Island, and the tiny islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb carry outsized importance because of their oil facilities and strategic location.
The small coral island about 21 miles off Iran’s coast is the primary terminal through which nearly all of Iran’s oil exports pass.
Iran has exported 13.7 million barrels since the war started, and multiple tankers were seen on satellite imagery Wednesday loading at Kharg, according to TankerTrackers.com, a maritime intelligence company.
Iran gets a significant share of its $78 billion a year in revenue from oil, with shipments flowing to countries like China.
A strike on Kharg would not only damage Iran’s current government but also could undermine the viability of whatever might eventually replace it.
The island has storage tanks in the south, along with housing for thousands of workers.
Gazelles roam freely near the refineries and depots that make Kharg one of Iran’s most valuable — and sensitive — assets.
Petras Katinas, an energy researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, said Kharg Island was critical to funding Iran’s government and military.
If Iran were to lose control of Kharg, it would be difficult for the country to function, even though the island isn’t a military or nuclear target, he said.
‘It doesn’t matter which regime is in power — new or old,’ Katinas said. A takeover would give the US leverage over negotiations with Iran because the island is ‘the main node’ of its economy.
JPMorgan’s global commodity research team warned this week in an investment note that a strike on the island would have major economic implications.
‘The island has often been viewed as a critical vulnerability, yet it has rarely been directly targeted,’ it said.
‘A direct strike would immediately halt the bulk of Iran’s crude exports, likely triggering severe retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz or against regional energy infrastructure.’
Trump answered questions from reporters traveling with him before he boarded Air Force One on Friday but did not mention the latest US military operation.
Meanwhile, an American official said 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East nearly two weeks into the war with the Islamic Republic.
The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and warned there would be no let up.
Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Marine Expeditionary Units are able to conduct amphibious landings, but they also specialize in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians, and disaster relief.
The deployment does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place.
US and Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,200 people in Iran, according to health ministry figures that could not be independently verified.
As of Friday, at least 13 US soldiers had lost their lives since Trump began striking two weeks ago.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck – more than 1,000 a day since the war began.
He also sought to address concerns about the bottling of the Strait of Hormuz , telling reporters: ‘We have been dealing with it and don´t need to worry about it.’
The UN refugee agency has estimated that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the war started.
Despite facing superior US and Israeli firepower, Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks against at least 10 countries.
Tehran has also squeezed the world economy by threatening to strike oil tankers on the Strait of Hormuz, bringing traffic to a virtual halt on a route that normally carries one fifth of global oil supplies.
Crude oil prices have surged more 40 percent since the war began.
