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Fresh strikes hit Kharg Island as Trump threatens to kill “a whole civilization” tonight

Trump escalated pressure with a post on Truth Social: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.”

The United States and Israel struck Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export terminal, on Tuesday, hours before President Donald Trump's ultimatum for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face massive attacks on its power plants and bridges expires.

Missiles launched from combat aircraft or warships caused explosions at multiple points across the island, located in Persian Gulf waters, according to Iran's Mehr news agency. A US official confirmed to Axios that the military struck military targets on the island, including bunkers, radar stations and ammunition depots, with no ground troop deployment.

It is the second major attack on Kharg in less than a month. On March 13, the United States bombed over 90 military targets on the island, but Trump said at the time he had decided “NOT to destroy the oil infrastructure” for “reasons of decency.” Approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports pass through the island, destined primarily for China.

“A whole civilization will die tonight”

Hours before the attack, Trump escalated pressure with a post on Truth Social: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.”

In the following sentence, however, he struck a more moderate tone, suggesting that regime change could open a new horizon: “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”

Trump concluded by calling the day “one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World,” adding: “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

The president's deadline — Tuesday at 8:00 PM Eastern Time — represents the latest in a series of deadlines he has imposed and postponed since March 21 to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that “the era of restraint is over” and threatened to target US allies' infrastructure across the region to deprive them of access to oil and gas “for years to come.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure would constitute a violation of international law and lead to a new phase of escalation, BBC reported.

The war between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28 with joint strikes that killed then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Since then, Iran has effectively blocked commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude oil prices soaring and pushing US gasoline prices up 39% to $4.14 per gallon.