Iran-US war latest: Trump says strikes ‘obliterated’ targets on Kharg Island oil hub

“The U.S. is decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military in a way the world has never seen before,” the defense secretary boasted at a Friday morning press briefing. “We said it would not be a fair fight, and it has not been.”

To date, more than 15,000 Iranian targets have been hit, obliterating the nation’s air defenses, air force, and navy, while its missile capabilities have plummeted by 90 percent, Hegseth said. He then warned Friday will be the most intense day of U.S. strikes on Iran to date.

Despite its small size, the island holds around 94 per cent of the country’s crude oil for export, mostly bound for China, and its main oil export terminal.

US administration officials said that discussions on seizing the key island have taken place, according to Axios. The land, which is smaller than the city of Westminster in London, could choke off Iran’s economy and leave a devastating impact for years to come.

Neil Quilliam, an energy policy and foreign affairs analyst at Chatham House, previously told The Independent that while it is “unlikely” President Donald Trump would completely take over the territory, any attempt would “likely send the markets into a tailspin”.

It could also block any future resolution between the countries, leading to an endless standoff.

“The US would effectively control Iran’s major export terminal but the Iranian leadership would remain in control of the country’s production so there would be a standoff,” he said. It could also be a “major cause for concern” for Gulf countries, setting a dangerous precedent.

“It is Iran’s Achilles heel in this war but fighting for and occupying Kharg could cause irreparable damage to the terminal and hurt any successor regime’s chances of managing the economy,” he continued. “Previous presidents have steered away from Kharg understanding its strategic important to global oil markets.”

An explosion damaged a Jewish school in Amsterdam early on Saturday in what the city’s mayor described as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community.

Concerns about attacks on Jewish communities around the world have risen following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent response.

The blast occurred at a school in an upscale residential neighbourhood in the south of the Dutch capital and caused limited damage, Mayor Femke Halsema said in a statement, adding that police and firefighters reached the scene quickly.

No injuries were reported.“This is a cowardly act of aggression against the Jewish community,” Halsema said.

“Jewish people in Amsterdam are increasingly confronted with antisemitism. This is unacceptable.”Security at synagogues and Jewish institutions in Amsterdam had already been heightened after an overnight arson attack on a synagogue in central Rotterdam on Friday.

In neighbouring Belgium, an explosion also caused a fire at a synagogue in Liege earlier this week.

Two weeks into the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, the conflict has left a growing humanitarian and regional toll, with around 2,000 people reported killed, the majority in Iran but also many in Lebanon and an increasing number in Gulf countries.

Several million people have been displaced from their homes as the fighting spreads across the region.

The United States has also suffered casualties.

All six crew members aboard a US refuelling aircraft were killed after it crashed in western Iraq during the conflict.

Five U.S. Air Force tanker aircraft stationed at a base in Saudi Arabia were damaged in an Iranian missile strike and are undergoing repairs, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. officials.

Beyond direct military exchanges, the war has raised concerns about global energy security. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has attempted to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly 20% of the world’s fossil fuel supplies pass.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US Navy would soon begin escorting oil tankers through the strait to ensure the flow of energy supplies.

Although Trump had earlier suggested the conflict could last only weeks, he declined to predict when it might end, telling reporters: “It’ll be as long as it’s necessary.”

The Iranian armed forces said on Saturday that any attack on Iran’s oil and energy infrastructure would lead to strikes on energy infrastructure owned by oil companies cooperating with the United States in the region, Iranian media reported.

The warning came after president Donald Trump said the US had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s main oil hub, Kharg Island.

The island serves as the export terminal for about 90% of Iran’s oil shipments.

US president Donald Trump said Iran was “totally defeated” and seeking a deal but insisted the terms being offered were not acceptable to him in a post on his Truth Social platform.

In the post, Trump also criticised the media for what he described as a lack of coverage of US military successes against Iran.

“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!” Trump wrote.

Trump has repeatedly taken a hard line on negotiations with Tehran, previously saying any agreement would require Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.

Despite its small size, the island holds around 94 per cent of the country’s crude oil for export, mostly bound for China, and its main oil export terminal.

President Donald Trump said US forces had “obliterated” military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, just hours after the American military said it had ordered 2,500 Marines and an amphibious assault ship to the Middle East.

Kharg Island is the primary terminal that handles Iran’s oil exports and Mr Trump warned that the island’s oil infrastructure could be next.

Announcing the action in a social media post, the president said: “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.

“For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”

In a later post, Mr Trump said: “Iran had plans of taking over the entire Middle East, and completely obliterating Israel. JUST LIKE IRAN ITSELF, THOSE PLANS ARE NOW DEAD!”Iran’s parliament speaker warned on Thursday that attacks on the Persian Gulf islands on Iran’s southern maritime frontier would provoke a new level of retaliation, underscoring how central they are to the country’s economy and security.

In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran “will abandon all restraint” if the islands come under attack and said Trump will be responsible for “the blood of American soldiers”.

Asked during a Fox News Radio interview – which was recorded on Thursday night and aired the following morning – whether he was thinking about seizing the island, the president said it was “not high on the list” but also he could “change my mind in seconds”.

The question appeared to touch a nerve, eliciting scorn as Mr Trump called it a question that should not be asked.

“Who’d ask a question like that, and what fool would answer it?” he said. “Let’s say I was going to do it or let’s say I wasn’t going to do it, why would I tell you?”

Protesters gathered in Times Square in New York City on Friday for an Al Quds Day rally, expressing support for Palestinians and condemning the ongoing bombing of Iran by the United States and Israel amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Al Quds Day – also known as Jerusalem Day – is an annual international day of demonstrations held on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in solidarity with Palestinians. Similar rallies were reported in cities around the world this year as tensions remain high following the ongoing war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Participants in New York carried banners and placards, including one that read: “No blood for oil – from the Middle East to Latin America.”