Trump says US could strike Iran’s Kharg Island again ‘just for fun’

Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States could strike Kharg Island again “just for fun”, a day after claiming American forces had “obliterated” targets on what he called Iran’s “crown jewel”. The island plays a crucial role in Iran’s oil system as it hosts the main terminal overseeing most of the country’s crude exports.

Iran alleged that US forces used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the United Arab Emirates to carry out the strikes on Kharg Island and urged residents to move away from locations where it said American forces were sheltering.

Trump hints at more strikes on Kharg

United States Central Command said on Saturday morning that it carried out “precision strikes” on 90 military targets while “preserving the oil infrastructure”.

Later in the day, Trump said: “We totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun.”

In an interview with NBC News, the president added that US forces had “totally decimated it”, while avoiding damage to energy infrastructure because rebuilding it would take years.

Kharg Island serves as the export terminal for roughly 90% of Iran’s oil shipments and lies about 300 miles (483 km) northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s armed forces warned that any strike on the country’s oil and energy infrastructure would trigger attacks on facilities belonging to oil companies cooperating with the US in the region, according to local media.

Trump on a possible Iran deal

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump claimed Tehran was now seeking a deal with Washington.

“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,” he wrote.

However, Trump added that the agreement Iran might be seeking would not be acceptable to him.

“So they want a deal — but not a deal that I would accept,” he wrote.

Tehran has not publicly responded to the remarks so far.