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US President Donald Trump waves after his arrival on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP/dpa
Keystone
According to President Donald Trump, the USA has destroyed military installations on the island of Kharg, which is important for Iran's oil industry, in order to persuade Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He refrained from destroying the oil infrastructure "for reasons of decency", Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, but warned the leadership in Tehran that if Iran or anyone else tried to obstruct the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, he would "immediately reconsider" this decision. Iran exports 90 percent of its crude oil from the island of Kharg.
Iran is blocking the strait, which is important for global oil exports, and shipping traffic has almost come to a standstill. According to Trump, US warships will soon be escorting tankers through the important strait. The US Navy escort will begin "soon", Trump told journalists. However, the US President did not give an exact date.
According to media reports, the Pentagon is sending more warships and naval infantrymen to the Middle East. The US forces already deployed in the region have been reinforced by thousands of infantrymen, several warships and fighter planes, reported the news portal "Axios", citing a senior US official. According to the report, the infantrymen would also be able to carry out ground operations if desired.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Iranian armed forces warned, according to the pro-government broadcaster Press TV, that in the event of a US attack on the country's oil, economic or energy infrastructure, "all relevant US facilities in the region will be destroyed". The "entire regional oil and gas infrastructure in which the United States and its allies have an interest" would be "set on fire and destroyed" in this case, warned the Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards.
Iran is using the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage in its war with the USA and Israel. The USA has destroyed every military target on the island of Kharg, Trump wrote. He described the approximately six-kilometer-long island in the Persian Gulf, around 30 kilometers off the southwest coast of Iran, as "Iran's crown jewel". The bombing was one of the most violent "in the history of the Middle East." With his threat regarding Iran's oil facilities on the island, the US President is now trying to use his own leverage in the war.
Before the war began, experts assumed that Iran's armed forces could close the Strait of Hormuz in the event of an attack by the USA - which is what happened. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have so far maintained their blockade of the strait. According to the Fars news agency, which is close to the Guards, the Guards' command center recently stated that it was following an order from the new religious leader Modshaba Khamenei. It remains to be seen whether Trump's threat after the bombing of Kharg Island will have any effect.
Meanwhile, another ballistic missile fired from Iran was intercepted in Turkish airspace by a NATO defense system. All necessary measures will be taken resolutely and without hesitation against any threat to the country's territory and airspace, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced on X.
NATO confirmed the interception of an Iranian ballistic missile heading towards Turkey. They remain vigilant and stand firmly in defense of all alliance partners, a spokeswoman wrote on X. The Iranian leadership denied the firing. According to the Iranian embassy in Ankara, no ammunition had been fired from Iran towards Turkey.
Meanwhile, the USA is offering a reward of up to 10 million US dollars (8.7 million euros) for information about Iran's leadership around the new head of state, Modschtaba Khamenei. According to the US State Department, the reward relates to leading figures in the Revolutionary Guards. Modshtaba Khamenei's father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli bombardment in the capital Tehran on February 28 at the beginning of the Israeli-American attacks on Iran.
According to the US government, his son Modshtaba Khamenei was injured. The US knew that he was "wounded and probably disfigured", said Defense Minister Pete Hegseth. Trump also told Fox News that Khamenei was wounded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said on Thursday that Maj. Khamenei "cannot show his face in public". He has not appeared in public since being appointed supreme leader.
Meanwhile, Iran and its allied Hezbollah militia in Lebanon again attacked arch-enemy Israel with rockets during the night. In the early morning, the sirens sounded again on Israel's border with its northern neighbor. In return, Israel's military continued to attack the militia in Lebanon.
According to reports, at least six people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Nabatije. The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported that a girl was among the victims. A fighter jet had attacked the home of a family, it added. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the incident.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Kassim reaffirmed his readiness to fight. "The word 'surrender' is not in our dictionary," he said in a televised speech. "We will defend ourselves in this battle for existence, no matter how many casualties it takes." According to the WHO, 634 deaths and more than 1,586 injuries have been reported on the Lebanese side so far.
14.03.2026, 06:12
