US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens”, without providing details, as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated after the first known US strikes on Iran in weeks.Kharg Island is a major Iranian energy hub that handled about 90% of the country’s oil exports before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28. Any significant damage to the island could disrupt Iran’s oil trade and place further pressure on its economy.“Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT,” Trump said on social media.The White House and US Defense Department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters also verified that an accompanying video showing dramatic explosions had been artificially generated.The U.S. strikes earlier hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said it had taken “limited, precise” action against Iranian Revolutionary Guard minelaying forces that posed an “imminent threat” in the strategic waterway.The command did not provide further details.Iran subsequently launched ballistic missiles towards two U.S. bases in Jordan, Iranian media reported. Jordan’s armed forces said they had intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace.A Fox News reporter, citing a U.S. source, said nearly all incoming missiles “have been intercepted at this point”, indicating limited immediate impact.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the attack killed and wounded several soldiers and civilians and vowed a “response and punishment” from Tehran, according to Iranian state media.
Strait of Hormuz faces renewed disruption
The escalation has also raised fresh concerns over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies.The number of visible commodity vessels crossing the waterway fell to about five a day over the weekend, according to shipping data. The actual number could be higher because some vessels have switched off their automatic identification systems to avoid potential attacks.Trump said last week that all mines in the international waters of the strait had either been detonated or removed, and warned Iran that any vessel laying new mines would be destroyed.While Trump has repeatedly said the waterway remains open, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ navy has rejected that claim as “an obvious lie”, saying the strait remains closed to ships without Iranian permission.The Strait of Hormuz carried nearly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before it was blockaded during the six-month-old Iran war.Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
