The US military conducted strikes on military targets on Iran's Kharg Island. The military strikes come as the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to agree on a deal and open the Strait of Hormuz is about to expire. According to the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr, “several explosions” were reported from Kharg Island.
Kharg Island
Located in the Persian Gulf, the Kharg Island is vital for Iran’s oil exports. Up to 90% of Iran's oil products are exported from Kharg Island. Storage capacity on Kharg is estimated at roughly 30 million barrels and, according to global trade analyst Kpler, about 18 million barrels of crude are currently stored there, Reuters reported.
CNN, citing US officials, reported that the strikes did not target oil facilities.
The US previously targeted Kharg Island on March 13. US Central Command said at the time that 90 targets had been hit, including “naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites.”
What Trump said about Kharg Island
Following the outbreak of the US-Iran war, President Donald Trump has on several occasions threatened to bomb the island or to seize it, along with the oil.
"We will conclude our lovely stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinisation plants!)," Trump had said in a recent post on Truth Social.
Trump's 48-hour ultimatum
The military strike on Kharg Island comes ahead of the 8:00 PM deadline set by Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran, to reach a ceasefire deal.
Iran rejected the latest ceasefire proposal, the country's state-run IRNA news agency reported Monday. Shortly after, Trump gave an ominous warning to Iran if it didn't capitulate it would result in a simultaneous, massive bombing campaign aimed at "each and every one" of Iran's electric generating plants and bridges.
He also made it clear that the Tuesday's 8 pm EDT deadline was final.
According to Trump, the US military could bomb Iran's bridges, power plants and other civilian infrastructure into the "stone age."
