US President Trump has claimed that the US will “hit Iran hard” on Thursday evening, and will “take” the strategically important Kharg Island in the “not too distant future”.
"The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,” he wrote on Truth Social.
"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.”
The island, which sits in the Strait of Hormuz, is the heart of Iran’s oil processing capacity and a vital economic asset to the Islamic Republic.
It was bombed heavily by US forces in March as part of its campaign against Iran, but the regime insisted it was still operating at 90 per cent capacity since then.
Trump’s threat comes after he suggested that Tehran had waited too long to accept a proposed peace deal, leading a renewal of hostilities.
Iran’s government has insisted that it will not give in to US pressure and that it cannot accept a ceasefire under the current terms.
Major sticking points are understood to include the question of whether the truce would extend to the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and whether concessions on Iran’s nuclear programme, long sought after by Washington, will be included in the deal.
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