President Donald Trump was sending a pointed warning to Tehran when he posted on social media about Iran’s vital Kharg Island energy hub being destroyed, Vice President JD Vance said Monday, even as U.S. officials confirmed that American forces had not attacked the island.
“The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit. He would be the first to say he doesn’t make announcements about military actions on social media, but I think that he’s sending a message to the Iranians,” Vance said when questioned about Trump’s post.
Trump published the brief message Sunday along with an AI-generated video depicting the destruction of Kharg Island. A U.S. official said Monday that the island had not been targeted during American military strikes overnight, while an Iranian official characterized Trump’s post as “laughable.”
Kharg Island is a critical component of Iran’s oil infrastructure and handled roughly 90% of the country’s oil exports before the war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. An attack on the facility could severely cripple Iran’s ability to export oil and place enormous additional strain on the country’s economy.
The U.S. did, however, carry out military strikes against Iranian targets in what an American official described as the first known U.S. attacks since late July. According to the official, American forces struck two Iranian launchers located on Larak Island.
{Matzav.com}
