New Delhi: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States carried out “the most powerful bombing raid” in the Middle East on Iran’s Kharg Island. He claimed American forces “totally obliterated” every military target on Iran’s main oil hub but chose not to wipe out the island’s oil infrastructure.
Located in the Persian Gulf, Kharg Island is Iran’s main terminal for oil exports and a significant part of the country’s energy sector. The island serves as the export terminal for 90 per cent of Iran’s oil shipments.
Trump underscored that the US chose not to attack the oil facilities for reasons of “decency,” but warned that if there is any interference with the free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the US would change that decision.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.”
He further said that Iran has no power to defend anything that the US wants to attack and reiterated that Tehran can never have a nuclear weapon.
Following Trump’s warning, the Iranian armed forces said that any attack on Iran’s oil and energy infrastructure will lead to attacks on energy infrastructure owned by oil companies cooperating with the United States in the region, Iranian media reported.