Trump threatens to strike Iran ‘very hard, tonight’ and to take Kharg Island

US president warns of further military action as both sides accuse each other of breaching temporary ceasefire

Donald Trump has said the US will take control of Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure and launch further strikes on Iran on Thursday night, just hours after the countries exchanged fire for the second consecutive day despite a nominal ceasefire being in place.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US would hit Iran “VERY HARD, TONIGHT”, claiming that most of Iran’s offensive capacity had been destroyed. He also said the US would seize Kharg, an island in the Gulf that handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports and hosts vast storage facilities.

Trump said: “At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their oil and gas markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.”

He later told Fox News that he would rather avoid hitting Iranian bridges and power plants, despite having threatened to do so earlier in the week.

Iran and the US have traded strikes for two consecutive days, triggered by the downing of a US helicopter above the strait of Hormuz.

The ceasefire, established in early April, has been undermined by sporadic retaliatory strikes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the temporary truce.

Trump said Thursday’s assault was prompted by Iran stalling in negotiations aimed at turning the temporary ceasefire into a permanent peace.