President Donald Trump threatened further U.S. strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub and urged allies to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran vowed to intensify its response and the war showed no sign of abating.
Trump said U.S. strikes had “totally demolished” most of Kharg Island and warned “we may hit it a few more times just for fun,” in an interview with NBC News. He added that Iran appeared ready to make a deal to end the conflict, but said “the terms aren’t good enough yet.”
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The appeal to allies came as energy prices climbed on what analysts described as the biggest-ever disruption to global oil supply. “The countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” Trump wrote on social media, naming China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain among those he hoped would send warships. None offered immediate commitments. French officials said they were pursuing a maritime coalition once conditions allowed; Britain’s Ministry of Defence said it was discussing options with partners.
Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters the administration had already rebuffed Middle Eastern allies’ efforts to launch talks to end the war, undercutting nascent diplomacy. The conflict, now in its third week, has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, according to figures cited by governments and state media.
Iran projected defiance, rejecting a cease-fire unless U.S. and Israeli airstrikes stop. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps labeled any facility associated with the United States a “legitimate target” and urged U.S.-linked industries to leave the region. Tehran also called on civilians in the United Arab Emirates to evacuate ports and “American hideouts,” and warned it was targeting branches of U.S. banks in the Gulf.
Iran’s Ministry of Defense said nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones were launched toward the UAE. A drone attack disrupted operations at the energy hub of Fujairah, where authorities said a drone was intercepted but falling debris sparked a fire that civil defense teams battled late into the day. Some oil loading operations were suspended, according to industry and trade sources. Fujairah, outside the Strait of Hormuz, is the outlet for about 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s Murban crude, roughly 1% of global demand.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was targeted by missiles late Friday, prompting Washington to urge American citizens to leave Iraq. Inside Iran, at least 15 people were killed when an airstrike hit a refrigerator and heater factory in Isfahan, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
U.S. Central Command said it struck more than 90 sites on Kharg Island, about 24 kilometers off Iran’s coast, including naval mine depots, missile storage bunkers and other military targets. Washington said it was not targeting energy infrastructure. Iran, which has played down the extent of damage on Kharg, said it would respond to any attack on its energy facilities.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed speculation from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Khamenei was wounded, saying, “There is no problem with the new supreme leader. He sent his message yesterday and he will perform his duties,” in comments to MS Now. Khamenei has not appeared in public in recent days; a statement attributed to him was read on state television Thursday.
The UAE denied that strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island overnight Friday were launched from its territory. Trump, spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, kept a relatively low public profile aside from his NBC interview and posts on his Truth Social account.
With shipping lanes at risk and diplomacy stalled, the battle over Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil — is hardening into a protracted confrontation that threatens to deepen the regional war and tighten a global energy squeeze.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
