President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Thursday that the US would be striking Iran tonight. The Republican Commander-in-Chief had vowed there’d be a response after a US Apache helicopter was downed in the region, and Trump claimed Iran was responsible.
“The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
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He also shared that the US had plans to take over Kharg Island, which is highly strategic and significant for Iran due to its oil storage facilities. Kharg Island provides a sea port for the export of up to 90 percent of Iran’s oil products, and the oil storage facilities there can hold up to 30 million barrels of crude oil. At any given time about 18 million barrels are actively stored on the island, reports indicate.
What Trump said about taking Kharg Island
Trump said that the US would be taking over not just Kharg Island but other oil infrastructure points, which would result in a severe economic blow to Tehran.
“At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets,” he wrote, while not specifying a timeline.
Trump went on to compare the situation to the US military action in Venezuela. The president had sent troops to capture the Venezuelan president and his wife, and they were flown back to face indictment in the US, in an unprecedented action.
The president said “…much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.” Trump had earlier spoken about the possibility of taking Kharg Island as well, which at the time had sparked fears of a wider conflict.
Kharg Island is strategically located close to the Strait of Hormuz as well and is a critical lever in global energy markets.
US Apache helicopter downed: Strikes on Iran
The US has already hit back at Iran after the Apache patrol helicopter was downed near Hormuz. CENTCOM had confirmed that the US had carried out strikes on Iran’s air defense systems, ground control stations and radar sites near the strait.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards or the IRGC had said they launched strikes on 21 targets at US bases in the region, including one in Bahrain and another in Jordan, while Kuwait’s army also said it was intercepting an attack, BBC reported.
