US President Donald Trump has threatened further attacks on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export terminal and called on allies to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies, as Tehran vowed to intensify its response.
As the US-Israeli war against Iran enters its third week, Trump said US strikes had completely destroyed much of the island and warned of more strikes.
“We might hit it a few more times, just for fun,” he told NBC News.
The comments represent a sharp escalation from earlier claims that only military facilities on Kharg were targeted, and undermine diplomatic efforts. His administration has rebuffed attempts by Middle Eastern allies to initiate talks.
The war shows no sign of ending. Trump said Tehran appears ready to make a deal but that the terms are not yet good enough.
Iran’s ability to block shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, poses a serious challenge to the United States and its allies.
Energy prices are soaring due to the largest disruption to oil supplies ever, and the energy crisis continues.
“The countries of the world that get their oil through the Strait of Hormuz must take care of that passage, and we will help a lot,” Trump wrote on social media on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran would respond to any attack on its energy facilities.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday it had carried out missile and drone strikes on targets in Israel and three US bases in the region, calling them the first round of retaliation for the deaths of workers in Iranian industrial zones.
