Trump threatens seizure of Iran's Kharg Island, vows to hit country 'very hard tonight'

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The United States testament ‌ come to Iran "very hard tonight" and will soon ​take control of its oil and ​gas infrastructure and ⁠markets, U.S. ⁠President ‌Donald Trump said on Thursday.

"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 wrote on Truth Social on Thursday morning.

The threat came as the U.S. And Iran traded air attacks, and the U.S. Military launched new strikes on ships it said were trying to evade its blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.

It is not the first time since the war began on Feb. 28 that Trump has threatened Kharg Island, the hub for 90 per cent of Iran's oil exports. Any operation to control the island might necessitate ground troops, something U.S. Officials speaking on the condition of anonymity to Reuters have previously said has been considered by the Trump administration.

Despite the hostilities, efforts to reach an interim agreement between Iran and the U.S. To end the fighting have intensified, three Iranian sources and a European official told Reuters on Thursday. Trump himself has repeatedly said a deal is close, though there has been no sign of a breakthrough.

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Tehran did not immediately respond to Trump's latest remarks but Iran's Foreign Ministry said earlier on Thursday that the ceasefire agreed in early April had been effectively rendered meaningless by the latest U.S. Attacks.

The war has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and pushed up global oil prices since the U.S. And Israel launched heavy airstrikes on Iran. The conflict has become a political headache for the White House, with polls showing Trump's approval ratings sinking amid voter anger over high gasoline prices.

The U.S. ⁠blockade on ⁠Iran's ports and Tehran's grip on the Strait ​of Hormuz have sustained mutual pressure, driving up costs around the world while leaving the risk of renewed fighting unresolved.

Three Indian sailors died late Wednesday when the U.S. Struck a tanker off Oman as part of its efforts to blockade Iran-linked shipping, India said on Thursday, after summoning a U.S. Diplomat to demand an end to such attacks.

The U.S. Military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said a U.S. Aircraft ‌carried out a precision strike on the engine room of the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello after its crew "repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces."

CENTCOM claimed the ​Settebello was trying to transport oil from Iran.

The Omani navy responded to the ship's distress call after the strike, according to the British maritime risk management group Vanguard.

India's Foreign Ministry said 21 Indian ⁠sailors were rescued.

The deaths are the first reported since the blockade began on April 13, operations which have seen the U.S. Disable eight ships and turn back more than 100 others.

The U.S. Military said on Thursday it had disabled another oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman — shooting two Hellfire missiles into the engine room of the Guinea-Bissau-flagged M/T Jalveer after, CENTCOM claimed in statement, its crew also failed to comply with directions.

A third, unladen India-linked oil tanker was also stopped in the gulf on Monday.

"These attacks must cease," said Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

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The three incidents come ahead of next week's G7 summit in France, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited and is likely to hold bilateral talks with Trump.

Ships being targeted by the U.S. Blockade include Iranian vessels and so-called shadow fleet ⁠tankers, which are typically older vessels without Western insurance used to transport sanctioned oil and sailing under the flags of various nations to obscure their true ownership, cargo and movements.

Attacks were also exchanged Thursday over land, with the U.S. Military saying it had targeted "military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defence sites across Iran" in response to what it called Tehran's "unwarranted and continued aggression."

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched counterattacks on 18 U.S. Military targets at airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain, as well as the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. It later said it had also targeted the al-Azraq airbase in Jordan for a second night running, firing 12 ballistic missiles.

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl suffered minor injuries, while vehicles caught fire and homes were damaged in the town of Hamad and the capital, Manama, after debris fell from Iranian drones that were intercepted and destroyed.

Iran on Wednesday accused the U.S. Of striking reservoirs that supplied drinking water to 10 villages and violating international law.

"This is not collateral damage — it is a calculated war crime and a flagrant violation of human rights," said foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghei.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that claim.

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Tehran's demands in order to halt fighting include an end to Israel's attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions on Iran, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, and recognition of its control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump says Iran must end its restrictions on shipping through Hormuz, and that any peace deal must ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.

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