U.S. conducts strikes on Kharg Island as Trump’s deadline looms

Kharg Island, the critical offshore hub of Iran’s oil-export industry, was hit again Tuesday by American airstrikes, the latest escalation in the war as President Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz approaches.

Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed that the U.S. was behind the strikes during a press conference in Hungary on Tuesday, but added that the attacks do not change the situation on the ground.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that explosions rocked the small island early Tuesday, though the targets of the airstrikes and the extent of the damage inflicted were undetermined.

The Wall Street Journal, citing two unnamed U.S. officials, reported that the airstrikes hit approximately 50 targets on the island but avoided energy infrastructure.

Still, WTI crude, the U.S. oil benchmark, jumped 2% in response to the Kharg Island strikes, and Brent crude rose nearly 0.5%, reaching $110.22 a barrel.

The island at the north end of the Persian Gulf is a transit point for as much as 90% of Iran’s oil output.

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The American strikes come just hours before Mr. Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has kept effectively closed since early March. He has threatened to destroy all of Iran’s power plants, bridges and Kharg Island itself if his demand is not met Tuesday evening.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

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Iran has responded defiantly, reportedly breaking off diplomatic contact with the U.S. that was being mediated by Pakistan. 

Iranian government officials have also called on regime supporters to form human chains around power plants and bridges to dissuade U.S. strikes.

The U.S. previously launched strikes on Kharg Island on March 13, with U.S. Central Command confirming that precision airstrikes destroyed naval mine storage facilities and missile storage bunkers. However, the March attacks avoided the island’s oil infrastructure, which is used in Iran’s exporting operations.

The island is Iran’s energy revenue linchpin, managing at least 90% of the country’s oil exports. While sufficient damage to its oil infrastructure from airstrikes would devastate Tehran financially, the risk is that Iran’s retaliation would increase pressure on international markets.

Mr. Trump has implied for weeks that U.S. forces could seize Kharg Island or that airstrikes could “completely obliterate” the island’s oil infrastructure if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

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Iran has reportedly laid traps on the island and deployed air defenses ahead of a potential U.S. invasion or assault.

At least 20% of the world’s oil travels through the Strait of Hormuz each year, and its closure has put extreme pressure on global markets and brought the effects of the U.S. and Israel’s war to nations around the world.

The strikes on Kharg Island come as the U.S. and Israel launch a wave of attacks on Iranian infrastructure this week. Several highways, civilian roadways and railway bridges have been damaged or destroyed by the U.S. airstrikes, and Israel has attacked petrochemical facilities in Iran this week.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.