Donald Trump turned to social media on Friday to invite the world to witness what he described as Iran’s military obliteration, announcing that US forces had completely destroyed every military installation on the strategically critical Kharg Island. The island serves as Iran’s primary oil export terminal, and Trump warned that its civilian energy infrastructure would be next if Iran continued to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier in the day, Trump had called Iranian leaders “deranged scumbags” and declared their deaths a personal honor.
Kharg Island is the linchpin of Iran’s oil export economy, and its loss as a functioning military base represents a significant strategic blow. Trump described the operation as one of the most powerful bombing raids in the entire history of the Middle East, carried out by US Central Command. He was explicit that he had chosen to spare the oil infrastructure for now, framing the decision as a conditional one that could be reversed immediately if Iran continued to disrupt free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The broader campaign has now struck more than 15,000 enemy targets combined, with Israel reporting over 200 individual strikes in the most recent 24 hours alone. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iranian leaders were hiding underground and described new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei as wounded and likely disfigured. Hegseth noted Khamenei’s Thursday written statement called for unity, but said the complete absence of any video or audio made the communication seem desperate and unconvincing.
The conflict continued to reach into new corners of the Middle East on Friday. Qatar issued evacuation orders in parts of Doha before a missile interception was confirmed over the city. Saudi Arabia neutralized close to 50 Iranian drones. Two people died in Oman in a drone attack on an industrial area. Debris from an intercepted strike damaged a building in Dubai’s International Financial Centre. In Lebanon, over 600 have died and 800,000 have been displaced since the latest fighting began, with eight more killed in Sidon on Friday.
American losses have accumulated throughout the conflict, with six service members dying in a tanker aircraft accident over Iraq and the total US death count reaching 13. France lost a soldier to a pro-Iranian militia drone in the same country. Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, injuring close to 60 people. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards continued their stated campaign of coordinated strikes with Hezbollah on Israel. Tehran’s residents, meanwhile, endured another night of relentless bombing, power cuts, and the desperate uncertainty of a city under siege with no end in sight.