U.S. hits military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island as war escalates

President Donald Trump said the US had bombed military targets on a critical Iranian outpost in the Persian Gulf and threatened additional strikes targeting oil infrastructure if Tehran continued to block energy flows, in the latest escalation of the two-week conflict that has upended the region.

Trump said American forces had “executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East,” including destroying military targets on Kharg Island. Trump, writing in a social media post, added that “for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island,” though he warned Iran’s leaders that he would immediately reconsider that decision if they interfered with ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The president told reporters earlier Friday evening the US would continue its campaign as long as necessary, while also insisting “we’re way ahead of schedule.” He also suggested the US Navy would begin escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz “very soon.”

Read more: Why a Strike on Kharg Island Would Shake Oil Markets

The 14th day of the war marked the largest attacks yet against the Islamic Republic, with the US and Israel hitting around 15,000 targets since the war began, according to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. 

In Iran, officials were defiant. Pictures posted on social media showed Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and several government ministers participating in rallies on Friday.

The assault on military sites on Kharg Island but not the energy facilities there amounts to a warning shot to Iran and a threat that the US may be willing to strike targets that are part of the country’s energy infrastructure, something Trump had so far sought to avoid doing.

Kharg Island is off the coast of the Iranian mainland and deep in the Persian Gulf. Oil pipelines that terminate there handle the vast majority of Iran’s energy exports, making it........

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