WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump was sending a warning to Iran when he posted online that the country’s strategic Kharg Island could be “blown to smithereens,” Vice President JD Vance said on Monday.
Speaking about the president’s message, Vance said Trump sometimes used social media to send political signals. He added that Trump would be the first to say he does not announce military operations through social media, but believed the post was intended to send a clear message to Iranian leaders, according to Arab News.
Trump’s brief post, published on Sunday, was accompanied by an artificial intelligence-generated video clip. The dramatic message quickly drew attention as tensions between Washington and Tehran remained high.
However, a US official said on Monday that American forces had not attacked Kharg Island during overnight strikes. An Iranian official dismissed Trump’s post as “laughable,” rejecting the suggestion that the island had been targeted.
Kharg Island is one of Iran’s most important energy centres. Before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28, the island handled about 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports. Any direct attack on the facility could seriously damage Iran’s energy trade, weaken its economy and place further pressure on the government.
The latest comments came as the United States described its first known military strikes against Iran since late July. According to a US official, American forces attacked two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island.
The contrasting statements, Trump’s threatening social media post, Washington’s denial of an attack and Tehran’s dismissal of the message have added another layer of uncertainty to an already tense situation.
