WASHINGTON, United States — The U.S. military struck military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island on Friday, President Donald Trump said, warning that Iran’s oil infrastructure could be targeted if ships are prevented from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said in a social media post that the U.S. Central Command carried out one of the most powerful bombing raids in the Middle East, “totally obliterating every military target” on Kharg Island. He added that the military did not strike oil facilities but would reconsider if Iran interferes with shipping.
Kharg Island, located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) off the Iranian coast, handles roughly 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports. Experts have said that any attacks on the island’s oil infrastructure could quickly disrupt global energy supplies.
Iranian media reported that the U.S. strike caused no damage to the island’s oil facilities.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass, has seen reduced maritime traffic due to Iranian attacks, affecting oil infrastructure in other Gulf states. Trump said the U.S. Navy would begin escorting tankers through the strait “very soon” to restore oil exports.
Kharg Island played a key role in Iran’s oil expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, serving as a terminal for supertankers because much of the Iranian coast is too shallow for large vessels.