United States President Donald Trump has warned Iran that Washington could strike the country’s key oil export hub on Kharg Island if Tehran continues attacks on vessels passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of deeper instability in global energy markets.
In a statement released on Friday, Trump said the United States had carried out strikes on military targets on Kharg Island but deliberately avoided damaging the oil infrastructure that handles most of Iran’s crude exports. The island, located about 300 miles northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, serves as the export terminal for roughly 90 percent of Iran’s oil shipments.
Trump cautioned that the decision to spare the oil facilities could change if Iran interferes with shipping in the critical waterway.
“If Iran, or anyone else, does anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” the U.S. president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, carrying nearly 20 percent of global fossil fuel supplies. Trump also told reporters that the U.S. Navy would soon begin escorting oil tankers through the strait to ensure safe passage.
Despite the warning, Iranian leaders have shown no sign of backing down. Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his late father, reportedly said the strategic waterway should remain closed as a tool of pressure against Western forces.
Iran’s armed forces warned that any attack on its oil infrastructure would trigger retaliation against facilities belonging to oil companies cooperating with the United States in the region.
Iranian media reported that more than 15 explosions were heard on Kharg Island during the U.S. strikes. According to sources cited by the semi-official Fars news agency, air defence systems, a naval base and airport facilities were targeted, though oil infrastructure remained intact.
Iran has continued exporting oil despite the escalating conflict. Data from tanker monitoring firms TankerTracker.com and Kpler show shipments averaging between 1.1 million and 1.5 million barrels per day, with much of the crude reportedly heading to China, the world’s largest oil importer.
The wider conflict has intensified across the region. Iranian state television reported that the country’s air defences shot down five additional drones, bringing the total number of U.S. and Israeli drones destroyed during the conflict to 114.
Meanwhile, a missile attack struck the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad, sending smoke rising from the facility, according to Iraqi security sources. Details of the incident remain unclear.
In other developments, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched further attacks on Israel in coordination with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia. Separately, oil loading operations in the UAE port of Fujairah were partially suspended after a drone strike sparked a fire on Saturday morning.
The human toll of the conflict continues to rise. Lebanese authorities reported that 12 medical personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on a healthcare centre in southern Lebanon. Iranian media also said at least 12 people were killed and several others injured in separate attacks across multiple provinces.
After two weeks of fighting, the death toll across the region has reached around 2,000 people, with the majority of casualties reported in Iran. Millions have been displaced as the war spreads across the Middle East.
Global markets remain on edge as investors watch for any disruption to Iran’s oil exports or shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, developments that could further tighten energy supplies and drive oil prices higher.
Source: Reuters
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