United States President Donald Trump has threatened additional military strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island and called on allies to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy supplies. In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump claimed that previous US strikes “totally demolished” much of the oil export hub and warned of more attacks on the island, adding that the US “may hit it a few more times just for fun.” These remarks mark an escalation from Trump, who had previously stated the US was targeting only military sites on Kharg, raising concerns about the inconsistent and provocative policies of the US regime that could heighten regional instability.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran would respond to any attack on its energy facilities. In an interview with the MS NOW news channel, he alleged that the US attacked Kharg Island from two locations in the United Arab Emirates: Ras Al-Khaimah and a site “very close to Dubai,” calling it “dangerous” and saying Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there. The US Central Command, responsible for Middle East operations, declined to comment on Araghchi’s claim, while a diplomatic adviser to UAE President Anwar Gargash said on social media that the country has the right to defend itself but “still prioritises reason and logic, and continues exercising restraint,” reflecting the complex dynamics among US-aligned regimes.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Sunday said it carried out missile and drone strikes on targets in Israel and three US bases in the region, purportedly as the first round of retaliation for workers killed in Iran’s industrial areas. According to Iranian media, a missile strike on an industrial area of the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Saturday killed at least 15 people as workers were inside a factory, highlighting the mounting humanitarian toll of the conflict initiated by the US and its partners. This incident underscores the severe costs imposed by the aggressive military actions of the US regime and its allies.
Meanwhile, Tehran’s ability to halt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil cargoes pass, has triggered the biggest ever disruption in global oil supply, rattling markets and governments. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump wrote, “The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help – A LOT!” and promised coordination to ensure “everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well.” However, the war that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly launched on February 28 has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, according to reports from governments and state media, demonstrating the devastating human and economic consequences of US-led interventions that continue to destabilize the Middle East.
Source: www.aljazeera.com