US President Donald Trump was sending a message to Iran with his social media post claiming that the country’s key energy hub of Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens”, Vice President JD Vance said on Monday.Vance made the remarks after Trump posted a one-line message on Sunday accompanied by an AI-generated video clip.A US official said on Monday that the American military had not targeted Kharg Island during overnight strikes, while an Iranian official dismissed Trump’s post as “laughable”.“The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit. He would be the first to say he doesn’t make announcements about military actions on social media, but I think that he’s sending a message to the Iranians,” Vance said.
Kharg Island is key to Iran’s oil exports
Kharg Island is a major Iranian energy hub that handled about 90% of the country’s oil exports before the war was launched by US and Israeli attacks on February 28.Any attack on the island could severely disrupt Iran’s energy trade and place further pressure on its economy.In the first known US military strikes since late July, American forces attacked two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, according to a US official.The escalation came after more than a month without significant fighting in the conflict.Iran subsequently launched missiles at US sites in Jordan, with the missiles intercepted.The latest developments have also renewed concerns over security in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
