Donald Trump has threatened to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil depot and has vowed to strike 'VERY HARD TONIGHT.' The US has launched retaliatory strikes after the shoot-down of an Apache helicopter, and the talks between Iran and the US have stalled over Iran's nuclear program and demands for frozen assets. The renewed hostilities have led to a punitive operation by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and incoming fire reported in Gulf states. The US has hit surveillance, communications, and air defense facilities in Iran, while Iran has reported explosions across the south and shot down 20 Iranian missiles. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar are trying to negotiate an end to the war, but the escalation has rendered the ceasefire practically meaningless.
Donald Trump has vowed to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil depot and pledged that the US will be striking 'VERY HARD TONIGHT.
' Trump promised a Venezuela-style takeover of Iran's oil, including invading Kharg, which processes around 90 percent of the country's crude exports and serves as a major source of revenue for the Iranian economy. But the island is heavily fortified by missile batteries, naval mines, and Revolutionary Guard units, and taking it would require thousands of American boots on the ground.
'The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE! ), VERY HARD TONIGHT,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.
'At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America. ' Trump's latest threat comes after the US launched a bombing raid against Iran overnight, the second round of strikes after the President launched retaliatory strikes on Tuesday following the shoot-down of an Apache helicopter.
Trump is seeking to push Iran into making a deal after months of stalemate since a ceasefire was declared at the start of April. The President has lost patience with Iran, telling reporters yesterday that 'they keep playing us for suckers' and accusing Tehran's negotiators of 'tapping us along.
' Donald Trump gives remarks during a signing ceremony for the 'Secure America Act' in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, June 10 Kharg Island is heavily fortified by missile batteries, naval mines, and Revolutionary Guard units, and taking it would require thousands of American boots on the ground. The talks have stalled with Trump adamant that Iran can never be allowed a nuclear weapon and demanding Tehran halt all uranium enrichment for at least 20 years.
Iran has countered with a 10-year freeze and has discussed dismantling two of its three major nuclear sites while insisting on keeping one open, the New York Times reported. American officials believe Tehran will settle for 15 years, but it is unclear whether that would be palatable to Trump, who said last month he would only accept a 'real 20 years.
' Trump trashed Obama's 2015 deal as 'the worst in history', an agreement critics savaged for leaving the Fordow site open, the same concession Iran is pushing for now. Iran is also demanding that frozen assets be released in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the US has refused to hand the cash over upfront, insisting the funds be released only as 'progress payments' as Iran delivers on the deal.
The US last night hit surveillance, communications, and air defense facilities, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced a 'punitive operation' targeting a US base in Jordan and Gulf states reported incoming fire. Iranian media reported explosions across the south, with at least three people wounded in Tehran province. Jordan said it had shot down 20 Iranian missiles, while Kuwait's military said its air defences had engaged 'hostile aerial targets'.
USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) launches Tomahawk cruise missiles from an unknown location, as the United States launched new strikes against multiple targets overnight in Iran, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. Firefighters work to extinguish fire in the aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, according to Bahrain's Interior Ministry, at a location given as Bahrain. Bahrain, which hosts a US naval base, said an 11-year-old girl suffered minor injuries and homes and cars were damaged by 'sinful Iranian aggression'.
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar suggested backchannel efforts to negotiate an end to the war were ongoing in spite of the flare-up, though Islamabad cautioned it was 'hard to be an optimist' in light of the latest escalation. The strikes took place while a Qatari delegation was in Tehran for talks, with a diplomatic source saying the discussions lasted into the early hours of the morning and were 'conducted in coordination with the United States.
' The renewed hostilities came as Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that if Trump required it, 'we'll negotiate with bombs. ' Iran's foreign ministry said on Thursday that 'the illegal and criminal attacks perpetrated by the United States in recent hours not only constitute a flagrant violation ... but also render the ceasefire practically meaningless. ' But a foreign ministry spokesman for mediator Pakistan said it had not 'lost hope' in a negotiated resolutio
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