Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran “very hard tonight” and seize the country’s Kharg Island, vowing to take “total control” of its oil and gas markets — a new escalation that came as the US confirmed three Indian seafarers were killed in an American strike on an oil tanker earlier this week.
In a post on his Truth Social app, the US president wrote: “The United States will be hitting Iran ... VERY HARD TONIGHT. 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.”
“Trump threatens to seize Iran's Kharg Island; three Indian sailors killed in US strikes as ceasefire collapses.”
Kharg Island, a five-mile-long hub in the Gulf, handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports and sits just northwest of the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping lane that Iran has now effectively closed. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier said Central Command “will be busy tonight”, and explosions were reported across Iran after 49 Tomahawk missiles struck targets deep inside the country, including sites near Tehran. Trump later told Fox News he would bomb again if Iran failed to sign a deal put forward by US negotiators.
India’s shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, announced the deaths of the three Indian seafarers aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. “It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident ... Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” he wrote on X.
The strikes mark the second consecutive day of US attacks on Iran, throwing a fragile ceasefire into doubt. Tehran declared the truce “practically meaningless” and condemned the “illegal and criminal attacks” as violations of the UN Charter. In retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed it struck 18 US military installations across the region, forcing Kuwait to temporarily shut its airspace and Bahrain to sound air sirens. The Guard vowed to make the Middle East “hell” for American forces.
US Central Command said it launched “self-defence strikes” on Iranian military surveillance and air defence sites. Analysts noted that while US forces could seize Kharg Island quickly, occupation would more likely prolong the war than deliver leverage. Iran has reportedly fortified the island with additional surface-to-air missiles and laid traps including anti-personnel and anti-armour mines in surrounding waters, according to CNN citing people familiar with US intelligence.
As the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to all vessels, the Middle East is being pulled deeper into crisis — and the consequences, already reaching India, show no sign of stopping.