U.S. strikes hit military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, President Donald Trump said, warning he will consider targeting the country’s oil infrastructure if Iran continues to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s crude.
Trump said in a social media post the U.S. military “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on Kharg Island while leaving oil facilities intact. He added that if Iran, or “anyone else,” interferes with the “Free and Safe Passage of Ships” in the strait, he would “immediately reconsider this decision.” Kharg serves as the export terminal for about 90% of Iran’s oil shipments and lies roughly 26 kilometers off Iran’s coast, about 483 kilometers northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.
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The strikes and threats rattled oil markets already contending with what the International Energy Agency has called the biggest supply disruption in history. Prices have seesawed on Trump’s shifting comments about how long the war might last; the president declined to project an end date, saying only, “It’ll be as long as it’s necessary.”
Despite the airstrikes, Iran continued exporting crude as other Gulf producers paused shipments out of fear of attacks. Several very large crude carriers were loading at Kharg Island on Wednesday, according to satellite imagery reviewed by TankerTrackers.com. Iranian exports ranged between an estimated 1.1 million and 1.5 million barrels a day from Feb. 28, when the war began, through Wednesday.
Energy analysts warned that even minor damage to Kharg’s web of pipelines, terminals and storage tanks could further tighten supplies. “This will focus the market’s mind on pathways that this energy disruption, already history’s largest, could expand and last longer,” said Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group. Some questioned whether the island’s oil facilities would truly remain unscathed: “Bombing Kharg Island but not the oil infrastructure is like going to McDonald’s and getting a hamburger with no meat,” said Josh Young, chief investment officer at Bison Interests. “What’s the point?”
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed in his first public comments to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and urged neighbors to close U.S. bases or face potential attacks. Trump said the U.S. Navy will “soon” begin escorting tankers through the waterway. France has been consulting European, Asian and Gulf Arab states on a plan that could lead to European warships escorting commercial vessels, French officials said.
Amid rising gasoline and diesel prices globally, Washington on Thursday issued a 30-day license allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products already at sea. Moscow welcomed the move, but Kyiv and several allies warned it could fund the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine. “Six members of the G7 expressed a very clear opinion that this was not the right signal,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the decision would provide Russia with $10 billion: “It certainly does not help peace.”
The conflict has widened across the Middle East. After nearly two weeks of war, about 2,000 people have been killed—most in Iran, but many in Lebanon and a growing number across Gulf states that now find themselves on the front line. Several million people have been displaced, according to regional officials.
As Israeli jets struck Beirut’s suburbs, Lebanon’s interior minister said the country cannot accommodate the hundreds of thousands seeking refuge in the capital. Israel warned of more attacks on Lebanese infrastructure and dropped leaflets threatening Gaza-scale devastation as it deployed more troops against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The U.S. military confirmed all six crew members aboard a refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq were dead. Iran launched more missiles and drones at Israel, and Iranian drones were reported flying into Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. The Israeli military said it struck more than 200 targets in western and central Iran over the past day, including ballistic missile launchers, air defenses and weapons production sites.
Two U.S. officials said Washington is sending additional forces, including the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and its Marine expeditionary unit, to the region. In total, about 2,500 additional Marines will deploy to the Middle East, along with more sailors.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
