US President Donald Trump announced Friday that American forces had conducted strikes on military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, a critical hub for the country’s crude oil exports. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that the US “totally obliterated every military target” on the island.
Video footage posted to Truth Social by the president and subsequently geolocated by CNN showed strikes hitting the island, including attacks on airport facilities. Trump also issued a warning regarding the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to target the island’s oil infrastructure if Iran continues to block ships from traversing the strategic waterway.
In response to the US action, Iran has threatened retaliation against regional energy infrastructure. According to Iranian state media, citing Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters, any attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure will be met with retaliatory strikes on regional facilities owned by oil companies that have American shares or cooperate with the United States.
Despite the extensive strikes, Iranian state media reported that the country’s oil infrastructure on Kharg Island was not damaged. The reports indicated that more than 15 explosions were heard on the island during the attack.
Kharg Island, a narrow stretch of land measuring approximately five miles off the Iranian coast, serves as a vital node in Iran’s oil export network. The island handles an estimated 90 percent of the country’s crude oil exports, making it a strategically significant location in global energy markets.