Trump says US will hit Iran hard, signals move on Kharg Island oil hub in United States

US President Donald Trump said the United States would strike Iran heavily and signalled an intention to take Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure, in a post on his Truth Social platform on June 11.

The statement marks an escalation in rhetoric as US forces conduct strikes against Iranian targets and interdict shipping in the Gulf, raising the prospect of direct American action against the export terminals that handle the bulk of Iran's crude.

Trump said Iran's navy, air force, radar, anti-aircraft systems and most of its offensive capability were "GONE", and that the United States would be hitting Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT", according to the post.

He said that at some point the United States would take Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points and assume control of Iran's oil and gas markets, comparing the approach to US policy on Venezuela, which he said was working well for both countries.

Kharg Island, in the northern Gulf, is Iran's main crude oil export terminal and handles the majority of the country's seaborne oil shipments. Any move against it would mark a sharp widening of the conflict from strikes on military targets to seizure of energy infrastructure.

The post followed US Central Command statements that its forces had struck targets inside Iran and disabled tankers carrying Iranian oil, and an Iranian announcement that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's government had not responded to the post at the time of writing. 

Following Trump’s comments, Brigadier General Reza Talaeinik said "enemies must accept a ceasefire" and halt hostile actions on all fronts, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics said, ISNA reported.

Talaeinik made the comments at a ceremony marking the anniversary of what Iran calls the 12-day war, alongside references to a separate conflict it terms the Ramadan war. He said the 12-day war had shown the defeat of the enemy's calculations and a display of Iranian power.