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Last Updated:March 15, 2026, 07:58 IST
Trump's comments came a day after he announced that the United States carried out “the most powerful bombing raid" in the Middle East on Iran’s Kharg Island.
Since the 1960s, when the facility was expanded with foreign investment, Kharg has become the backbone of Iran’s energy exports and a key link between Iranian oil fields and global markets. (X)
Iran-US War: US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) said that the United States could carry out more strikes on Kharg Island, claiming the earlier attacks had “totally demolished" much of the Iranian oil export hub.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said the US might target the island again, saying, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun."
His comments came a day after he announced that the United States carried out “the most powerful bombing raid" in the Middle East on Iran’s Kharg Island. He claimed American forces “totally obliterated" all military targets while deliberately sparing the island’s oil infrastructure.
Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf, is Iran’s main terminal for oil exports. It is a key part of the country’s energy sector. Trump emphasised that the US chose not to damage the oil facilities for reasons of “decency," but warned that any interference with the free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz would change that decision.
In the interview with the news outlet, the US President said that Tehran appeared ready to make a deal to end the conflict, he added that “the terms aren’t good enough yet."
These comments marked an escalation in rhetoric from the US President, who had previously said the US targeted only military sites on Kharg. They also undercut diplomatic efforts, with three sources familiar with the situation telling Reuters that Trump’s administration had already rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start negotiations aimed at ending the war.
Tehran’s ability to stop shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a major channel for oil and gas, poses a difficult problem for the US and its allies. Energy prices are soaring as the war causes the biggest-ever disruption in oil supply.
He further said that while Tehran appeared willing to negotiate an end to the conflict, Washington was not ready to accept the terms offered by the former.
Trump also urged countries dependent on Gulf oil to send naval forces to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route.
“The countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — a lot," he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“We’re going to be sweeping the strait very strongly, and we believe we’ll be joined by other countries who are somewhat impeded, and in some cases impeded from getting the oil," he added.
Meanwhile, Iran played down the extent of the damage on Kharg Island.
The US said it had targeted military, not energy industry, targets on the island, which is about 15 miles (24 km) off Iran’s coastline in the Gulf. US Central Command said it hit more than 90 sites on Kharg, including naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military targets.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Iran would respond to any attack on its energy facilities. Iran’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones were launched from Iran towards the UAE.
Iran has further warned residents to leave areas near Jebel Ali port in Dubai, Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s Fujairah port and said it was targeting branches of US banks in the Gulf.
The UAE denied that strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island overnight Friday had come from its territory.
Since Israel and the United States began air attacks on Iran on February 28, the war has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, according to reports from governments and state media. At least 15 were killed when an airstrike hit a refrigerator and heater factory in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Saturday.
Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:
March 15, 2026, 07:58 IST
News world ‘Just For Fun’: Donald Trump Warns Of More Strikes On Iran's Kharg Island
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