Trump threatens to strike strategic Kharg island again: 'Just for fun' / He asked allies to help in Hormuz, answers started coming
US President Donald Trump has threatened further attacks on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub and called on US allies to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy supplies, while Tehran shows no signs of backing down, even threatening to step up its strikes, according to Reuters.
In the third week of the US-Israeli war against Iran, Trump said US strikes had “completely destroyed” much of Kharg Island and warned more would follow.
“We might hit her a few more times, just for fun,” the US president told NBC News.
The war shows no signs of coming to an end
The remarks marked a sharp escalation from Trump, who had previously said the US was only targeting military targets on Kharg Island, and undermined diplomatic efforts.
His administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to initiate negotiations, three sources told Reuters.
Trump said Tehran appeared willing to strike a deal to end the conflict, but “the conditions are not yet good enough.”
Tehran's ability to shut down shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes, is a difficult issue for the US and its allies. Energy prices are rising as the war causes the largest oil supply disruption in history and the energy crisis continues.
“Countries of the world that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday. “The U.S. will also coordinate with those countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and smoothly.”
Iran struck again with drones and missiles on Sunday
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran would respond to any attack on its energy facilities.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they had launched missiles and drones at targets in Israel and three US bases in the region, calling the attacks the first round of retaliation for workers killed in Iran's industrial zones. The Israeli military said it intercepted the rockets fired.
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed 10 drones in Riyadh and the east of the country, the Ministry of Defense reported. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have claimed no connection to the attack.
The new strikes come after a drone attack disrupted a major energy hub in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.
First responses to Trump's request on Hormuz
It seems unlikely that the disruptions in the oil market will end anytime soon.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, urged China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and other countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. None of these countries gave any immediate indication that they would do so.
Takayuki Kobayashi, the policy chief of Japan's ruling party, refused to rule out the possibility, but said it was very difficult from a legal point of view.
Japan interprets its postwar pacifist constitution to mean it can deploy its armed forces if the nation's survival is threatened, but the government would have to invoke a 2015 security law that has not been used before.
South Korea's presidential office said on Sunday it would carefully consider Trump's request: “We will communicate closely with the US on this matter and make a decision after careful consideration.”
France is also trying to form a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the security situation stabilizes, and Britain is discussing a range of options with its allies to ensure the security of shipping, officials said.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who replaced his slain father, said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed.
Trump said he did not know if Mojtaba Khamenei “is even alive”, but Tehran denied that he was even injured. “It's no problem, you'll see soon,”
