Trump vows ‘very hard’ Iran strike and Kharg seizure

Trump threatens – Donald Trump says the U.S. will hit Iran “very hard tonight” and take Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure, as Iran warns the ceasefire is effectively meaningless and regional air defenses report drone and missile interceptions. In parallel, the U.S. conf

For a second straight day, the war in the Gulf kept widening before the dust could settle.

Donald Trump used his Truth Social account to deliver a new warning to Tehran late in the day. saying the United States would strike Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT.” In the same post. he said the U.S. would take Kharg Island and “other infrastructure” “at some point in the not too distant future. ” describing it as a way to “assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets.” He compared it to what he said the U.S. has with Venezuela.

The promise lands on Kharg Island’s role in Iran’s economy. The island, in the Gulf, handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports.

Trump also turned to Fox News for further comments, saying the U.S. “dropped $250m worth of bombs on them [Iran] last night.” He said the U.S. was “not hitting them hard enough” and claimed Iran was “in submission. they just don’t know it yet.” He added: “My preference has always been take Kharg Island … I don’t know that America has the stomach for it.”.

Iran’s response came in words that framed the ceasefire as already hollow. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said the renewed U.S. strikes have “rendered the ceasefire ineffective,” according to a statement carried on his Telegram channel. Araghchi also spoke by phone with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, the statement said. In that call, Araghchi condemned the U.S. attacks as “a clear violation of the UN Charter and international law. ” and said the actions have “rendered the ceasefire ineffective” and that the U.S. is responsible for “its dangerous consequences.”.

The language matched an even starker posture from Iran’s foreign ministry. In a statement carried by Iranian media, it condemned the latest U.S. strikes on Tehran and said they had rendered the ceasefire of 8 April “practically meaningless. ” calling the attacks “illegal and criminal” and “a flagrant violation” of the UN Charter and international law.

As U.S.-Iran exchanges intensified, the risk of the conflict spreading through shipping lanes became harder to ignore. The U.S. confirmed it carried out a strike on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel M/T Jalveer. Central Command (Centcom) said. alleging the ship was violating a blockade and attempting to transport Iranian oil through the Gulf of Oman. Centcom said it was the third vessel attacked by the U.S. in the Gulf this week after the Marivex and Settebello vessels were struck.

India’s shipping ministry said all 20 Indian crew members were safe after the Jalveer sent a distress call off Oman’s port of Shinas following a fire broke out. India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ship was attacked by the U.S. navy, while Centcom did not immediately comment on the report.

The week’s toll had already reached families. Three Indian seafarers were killed after a U.S. strike on the oil tanker Settebello off Oman’s coast on Tuesday, an Indian official said. On Monday. an Indian crew on the sanctioned Marivex oil tanker put out a distress call after it was hit by a U.S. missile.

In the airspace above and around the region, defenders kept reporting interceptions. The Kuwaiti armed forces said they responded to 24 Iranian drones in its airspace in the past two days. In a statement posted on social media. Kuwait said the “Iranian aggression resulted in limited material damage without any human casualties.” It also said Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours this morning as air defence systems engaged “hostile aerial targets.”.

Jordan’s military reported a separate barrage intercepted from Iran. The Jordanian military said its air defence systems and the Royal Jordanian air force intercepted and shot down 20 missiles launched from Iran toward the Azraq area in Zarqa governorate. The statement quoted a military official as saying the interception at dawn led to missile debris falling in the area about 50 miles east of Amman. with no injuries or material damage reported.

Bahrain also reported damage from the fallout of drone activity. Its interior ministry said an 11-year-old girl was injured from falling debris after Iranian drones were intercepted by air defences in the capital Manama and Hamad Town. The ministry said the incident damaged several vehicles and homes, and posted pictures on X showing scorched cars and buildings.

The Strait of Hormuz, meanwhile, became the headline with the biggest immediate consequence for global movement.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). a government agency set up on 5 May to oversee transit through the strait of Hormuz. announced that the waterway is “closed until further notice. ” blaming U.S. strikes in the region. In a statement carried on Iranian media. PGSA said: “Due to the tensions created by the US aggression forces in the region and the announcement by the Iranian armed forces last night. the strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice.” It added: “Applicants who have received a pass are asked to be patient and await further guidance from the PGSA.”.

The announcement came shortly after an Iranian official accused the U.S. of striking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman this morning. Reza Shahidian. governor of Sirik in the southern Hormozgan province. said the ship was “carrying essential goods” when it was hit while traveling from an Omani port. according to Iranian media. Shahidian said the crew had been rescued and taken to Oman.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also said the strait will be “closed to all vessels,” a claim the U.S. Central Command rejected, saying commercial ships continue to transit in and out of the strait.

With the ceasefire strained and shipping threatened, diplomacy still fought for space. Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan called on the United States and Iran to halt their new round of attacks. warning it risked “escalation.” Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Sofia. he said: “The reciprocal attacks that began two days ago raise fears of an escalation in the Middle East war.” He said: “We recommend that the parties halt their mutual attacks and resume negotiations.”.

Pakistan, a key regional mediator, also said it was “deeply concerned” by the recent escalation. Tahir Andrabi. Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson. said all parties should “adhere to the understanding reached on the ceasefire and end hostilities to widen the space for dialogue and diplomacy.” Pakistan said it would continue mediation efforts to end the war despite the escalation. adding that diplomacy and dialogue should guide a negotiated settlement.

Even with those calls, the pressure of the moment remained visible in the day’s rhythm of statements and counterclaims.

In late updates, the story widened further: the U.S. launched a wave of strikes across southern Iran for a second consecutive day. The attacks this week—launched after the downing of a U.S. helicopter over the strait of Hormuz—were described as the most serious and extensive breakdown of the truce to date. despite several breaches since a ceasefire was agreed between the two sides in April.

There were also signs of bargaining continuing alongside fighting. Some media reports suggested negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were still ongoing despite strikes launched by both sides this week. In those accounts. talks to reach a deal were still on track after overnight negotiations. and separate reporting described efforts to reach a preliminary deal intensifying around a mechanism to release frozen Iranian funds. One report quoted an Iranian source saying Iran wants $6b to $12b of its frozen funds released to Tehran. while Washington wants staged releases for humanitarian goods and rejects returning the funds to Iran outright.

Beyond the battlefield, Gulf diplomacy kept moving too. Saudi Arabia lifted its five-year import ban from Lebanon. saying the reversal of the ban came at the order of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and followed “positive steps taken by the Lebanese state.” The ban. introduced in 2021. began as a restriction only on Lebanese fruits and vegetables citing drug smuggling concerns before being extended to all Lebanese products after Lebanon’s information minister at the time criticized Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen. Lebanon’s current government. which came to power last year with promises of reform. has sought to rebuild ties with the Gulf countries.

When Kharg Island is put on the table alongside “very hard” attacks. it shifts the conflict from rhetoric into something closer to a stated target—one tied directly to Iran’s oil lifeline. With the Strait of Hormuz declared closed “until further notice” by Iranian authorities. and air defenses and shipping convulsed by strikes. the dispute is not only escalating on both sides. It is now trying to determine what the region can still safely move, and who controls the flow.

Middle East crisis Donald Trump Iran Kharg Island Strait of Hormuz ceasefire Truth Social Centcom M/T Jalveer Kuwaiti armed forces Bahrain drones Abbas Araghchi Kaja Kallas