U.S. President Donald Trump late Friday said the U.S. had launched air strikes on Kharg Island, targeting only military assets in what he called one of the “most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East.” The island, a 5-mile strip of land, is home to Iran’s most important oil facility, where roughly 90 percent of the country’s crude is processed.
Trump said the U.S. attack spared vital oil infrastructure on the island.
But “should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” he said on social media.
The oil processing facilities on Kharg Island are a key component of the Iranian economy. Some 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil is processed at Kharg Island, and any disruption to its processing infrastructure could cripple the county’s economy.
The Pentagon is moving additional U.S. Marines and warships to the Middle East to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported. The latest deployment involves an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit, typically consisting of several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors, according to the report.