A joint operation by US and Israeli forces targeted a major Iranian oil export hub, according to media reports on Tuesday.
“The American-Zionist enemy has carried out several attacks on Kharg island, and several explosions have been heard there,” an Iranian news agency reported.
A journalist citing a US official posted on social media that the US conducted “strikes on military targets” on the island, which is situated off Iran’s western coast.
Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s civilian infrastructure and stated on Tuesday that a “whole civilisation” could be eliminated.
However, a news outlet quoted an unnamed White House official saying the targets on the island were military. Another news outlet quoted a US official saying the strikes were against military targets and did not hit oil facilities.
The island is central to Iran’s oil export industry, a key element of the country’s struggling economy, and is located in a narrow, strategic waterway.
It houses Iran’s largest oil terminal, pipelines, storage tanks, and related infrastructure. Last month, the United States said it bombed more than 90 military targets on the island without damaging oil infrastructure.
