United States President Donald Trump has said the country’s military bombed military installations on Iran’s Kharg Island, warning the area’s critical oil facilities could be next if Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran, in turn, threatened on Saturday to reduce US-linked oil facilities to “a pile of ashes” if oil structures on the island were targeted as the US-Israel war on Iran, now in its punishing third week, spilled over into a global oil price crisis already in the making.
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Kharg Island is where more than 90 percent of Iran’s oil is exported. Crude oil prices have surged more than 40 percent since the war began.
Trump said on Friday US forces had “totally obliterated” all military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub, describing it in a social media post as “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East.” He provided no evidence of that.
The US president said he had chosen not to “wipe out” oil infrastructure on the Iranian island, for now.
“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,” he added.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing sources, that more than 15 explosions were heard on Kharg Island during the US attacks.
The sources said the attacks targeted air defences, a naval base, and airport facilities, but caused no damage to oil infrastructure. Iran’s Fars news agency reported thick smoke was seen rising from the island.
Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran, said Iran’s potential retaliatory attacks on Gulf oil facilities would be a “catastrophic scenario” for the region, and for the “entire industry of oil and gas”.
“The Iranians are keeping this, apparently, as a card to use,” he said. “They’ve been talking about restraint and the possibility of that restraint ending if the Iranian oil facilities are attacked, as the Americans are hinting and threatening.”
US ground operation in the works?
Meanwhile, 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East, a US official told AP news agency.
Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the region, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Marine Expeditionary Units are able to conduct amphibious landings, but they also specialise in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians, and disaster relief.
“What we’re to make of this is that the US is very slowly increasing its military posture in terms of prosecuting the war, and that it is not intending to wrap things up any time soon,” Al Jazeera’s Rosalind Jordan reported from Washington.
The deployment does not necessarily indicate that a ground operation is imminent or will take place.
Trump dismisses prospect of deal
Following the attack on Kharg Island, Trump said Iran would be “wise to lay down their arms, and save what’s left of their country”. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal – but not a deal that I would accept!” he posted separately, providing no evidence Tehran was seeking any sort of deal.
At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured by US-Israeli attacks on Iran since 28 February, Iran’s Health Ministry says.
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said US-Israeli air strikes hit targets across the country, including in the capital, Karaj, Isfahan and Tabriz. He said this was a sign that “we are not close to de-escalation”.
“Iranian officials are talking about retaliatory strikes, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps talking about using what they call their most advanced weaponry, including Heidar missiles, to target Israeli territories and US bases in the region,” he said.