targets on Kharg Island

Washington (dpa) — US President Donald Trump on Friday said that US forces had “totally obliterated” all military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, a crucial export terminal for oil in the Gulf.

“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform also shared on the White House X account.

The US president said that “Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we want to attack,” and repeated that Tehran “will NEVER have a nuclear weapon, nor will it have the ability to threaten the United States of America, the Middle East or, for that matter, the World.”

Trump went on to say that “for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”

targets on Kharg Island

Almost two weeks after the US and Israel launched large-scale attacks against Iran, the leadership in Tehran continues to retaliate, increasing pressure on Washington, its allies and the global economy.

The Revolutionary Guards have maintained a near blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman that is crucial for global oil transport. The 55-kilometre-wide strait is one of the most important routes for global oil exports.

Iran’s Kharg Island, about 25 kilometres off the coast of Iran and 480 kilometres north-west of the Strait of Hormuz, was repeatedly targeted during the Iran-Iraq War in 1980-88.