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U.S. Forces Strike 50+ Targets on Iran’s Kharg Island Ahead of Trump Deadline

U.S. Forces Strike 50+ Targets on Iran’s Kharg Island Ahead of Trump Deadline
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U.S. forces struck more than 50 military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island on Tuesday, hours before President Donald Trump’s self-imposed deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, jolting global markets and deepening fears of a wider Middle East war reuters +1. Iranian media reported multiple explosions and a power blackout on the island but said oil export facilities remained operating and no casualties had been confirmed jpost +1.

The strikes hit as Trump warned on social media that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran failed to accept his terms, which include reopening the vital shipping lane and agreeing to a broader cease-fire cbc. U.S. officials said the operation was aimed at missile, radar and other military sites on Kharg, a heavily fortified island that handles about 90% of Iran’s crude exports and underpins much of the country’s $50‑billion‑plus annual oil revenue nypost +1.

What Was Hit on Kharg — and What Was Spared?

U.S. and allied aircraft targeted radar installations, air defenses, suspected missile storage and facilities linked to naval mines on the island, in what one official described as “more than 50” distinct military sites struck overnight reuters +1. Vice President J.D. Vance insisted the operation did not mark a shift in strategy, saying Washington was “not going to strike energy infrastructure” and remained focused on degrading Iran’s ability to threaten shipping nytimes.

Iranian outlets, including the semi‑official Mehr news agency, reported “several large explosions” and later said electricity had been cut across Kharg following the raids jpost +1. But an Iranian oil official told local media that exports were “normal” and that the attack had caused no damage to loading terminals, storage tanks or pipelines, echoing earlier rounds of strikes in March that also left oil assets intact reuters +1. Independent verification of the extent of military damage and any casualties remained limited as of Tuesday evening.

Ultimatum Diplomacy and Shockwaves in Global Oil Markets

Tuesday’s bombardment unfolded against the clock of Trump’s latest ultimatum, which set 8 p.m. Eastern time as the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face a campaign against its bridges, power plants and other infrastructure cbc +1. The U.N. secretary-general warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure are banned under international law and urged all parties to pull back from the brink, while more than 100 international-law experts cautioned that such strikes could violate the U.N. Charter indiatoday +1.

Oil markets reacted sharply to the combination of a mostly closed Hormuz, repeated threats to Kharg and the risk of miscalculation. Benchmark crude traded above $110 a barrel on Tuesday, and some physical cargoes destined for Asian and European refiners changed hands near $150, levels not seen even during previous Gulf crises ynetnews. Analysts warned that any serious damage to Kharg’s export system or a prolonged shutdown of Hormuz could push prices beyond the 2008 record and trigger fuel rationing and emergency stockpile releases in major consuming nations hindustantimes +1.

The Bigger Picture

The latest Kharg strikes underscored how Trump’s pressure campaign on Iran has fused battlefield escalation with economic leverage, putting the world’s most important oil chokepoint at the center of a high‑stakes standoff. With Iran vowing that “restraint is over” and threatening retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure if its own facilities are hit, regional security and global energy supplies now hinge on whether both sides keep military action confined to strictly defined targets — and whether the looming deadline passes with a deal, another delay, or a devastating new round of attacks hindustantimes +1.