The United States has carried out a major bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, targeting what officials described as key military positions on the strategic Persian Gulf outpost. The island is Iran’s main oil export terminal, but U.S. officials say they focused exclusively on military infrastructure and did not strike oil facilities.
President Donald Trump called the operation “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East” and claimed U.S. forces had “totally obliterated every MILITARY target” on the island. He framed the strikes as an effort to protect commercial shipping and ease concerns over oil supplies, warning that Iran’s oil infrastructure could be targeted in the future if Tehran or its allies continue to threaten traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pentagon leaders said the Kharg Island strikes are part of a broader campaign to degrade Iran’s naval and missile capabilities after attacks on shipping and efforts to restrict access to the vital waterway. They argued the operation was calibrated to send a deterrent message while trying to avoid a direct hit on Iran’s energy export capacity, even as regional tensions and fears of wider escalation continue to grow.
