‘Totally defeated’ Iran wants a deal, claims Trump after two weeks of Operation Epic Fury — ‘Not a deal that I would...’

After two weeks of Operation Epic Fury, US President Donald Trump has reiterated that Iran is “totally defeated” and claimed that they want a deal. However, with no end to the war in view, Trump said that the alleged Iran deal is not the one he would accept.

In a Truth Social post on Friday night, local time, Trump wrote: “The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal - But not a deal that I would accept! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Iran, however, showed no sign of capitulating or bowing to US-Israeli military pressure.

Attack on Kharg Island

In a separate post on Friday, Trump claimed that US forces had carried out “one of the most powerful bombing runs in the history of the Middle East”, with Iran's “crown jewel”—Kharg Island—as its target.

Asserting that American weapons were "the most powerful and sophisticated" in the world, Trump said he had "chosen NOT to wipe out" the oil infrastructure on the island "for reasons of decency".

Kharg Island, located roughly 30 kilometres off the Iranian mainland, handles roughly 90% of Iran's crude exports, reported AFP, citing a recent JPMorgan note.

Iran's Fars news agency reported at least 15 explosions with thick smoke rising over Kharg Island, earlier hit by US strikes.

It said the strikes targeted an air defence facility, a naval base, the airport control tower, and an offshore oil company's helicopter hangar, adding that no oil infrastructure was damaged in the attack.

Following up on his earlier assertions, Trump said that Iran "will NEVER" have a nuclear weapon, "nor will it have the ability to threaten the United States of America, the Middle East or, for that matter, the World!"

Meanwhile, an American official said 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East nearly two weeks into the war with the Islamic Republic.

Iran reiterates threats to target US-linked oil facilities

Iran's joint military command reiterated its threat to attack US-linked oil and energy facilities in the region if the Islamic Republic's oil infrastructure were hit.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the threat early Saturday, according to Iran's state-run television.

He warned that Iran will target "all oil, economic, and energy infrastructures belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or cooperate with America" if energy and economic infrastructure in Iran is attacked.

Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes, even as US and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.

(With agency inputs)