United States President Donald Trump has threatened further strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island and urged allies to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway critical for global energy supplies, as Tehran promises to intensify its response.
Trump told the NBC News broadcaster on Saturday that the US strikes “totally demolished” much of the oil export hub and warned of more attacks on the island.
“We may hit it a few more times just for fun,” he said.
The remarks would mark an escalation for Trump, who had previously said the US was targeting only military sites on Kharg.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would respond to any attack on its energy facilities.
Araghchi told the MS NOW news channel that the US attacked Kharg Island from two locations in the United Arab Emirates: Ras Al-Khaimah and a place “very close to Dubai”, calling it “dangerous” and saying Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there.
The US Central Command, the US military’s combat command responsible for operations in the Middle East, declined to comment on Araghchi’s claim.
Credit: aljazeera.com
