Trump Announces Destruction of Iran’s Kharg Island

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Reveals New Secondary Sanctions Against Tehran Will Be Announced Weekly, Particularly in the Banking Sector, as Part of Efforts to Pressure the Iranian Economy

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday, in a one-line social media post accompanied by an AI-generated video, that Kharg Island, a major energy hub in Iran, was being destroyed. At the same time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new sanctions aimed at tightening pressure on the Iranian economy, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated against the attacks by targeting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and attacking countries in the region, including the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

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Trump wrote on social media: “Kharg Island is being destroyed to rubble!!!”

Media reports indicated that the accompanying video, which showed massive explosions, had likely been fabricated using software designed to detect images manipulated with artificial intelligence.

An attack on Kharg Island, which handled 90% of Iran’s oil exports before the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, could severely disrupt Iran’s energy trade and place enormous pressure on its economy.

The renewed hostilities come after weeks in which the Trump administration had intensified efforts to punish Tehran and its trading partners through costly economic sanctions, thereby avoiding the use of military options.

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The U.S. Treasury secretary said Sunday that new secondary sanctions were likely to be announced weekly as part of efforts to pressure Iran, initially focusing on banks.

“We start with the banks, and we tell them that it is unacceptable for them to hold Iranian funds or to assist the regime [Iranian regime],” Bessent said in an interview.

After sanctions were imposed Friday on Bank Misr branches in the United Arab Emirates over alleged financial links to Iran, Bessent said the next step could be to completely isolate Iranian financial institutions from the dollar-based financial system.

“You will see more of these measures every week,” the U.S. official said ahead of a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20 countries.

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Describing the first known U.S. military strikes since late July, a U.S. official said American forces had attacked two Iranian missile-launch platforms on Larak Island, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by launching ballistic missiles at Jordan, targeting two U.S. bases. Jordanian state television said the Jordanian armed forces had intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace.

Iranian state television also quoted an army statement as saying that it had launched a drone attack against Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates early Monday. The army added that the attack targeted sites where U.S. troops and helicopters were stationed. It said the attack was carried out in response to the killing of members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian civilians following a U.S. strike on Larak Island.

Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Defense denied media reports that the base had been targeted, adding that the armed forces “are fully prepared and on high alert to deal with any threats should they arise, ensuring the protection of the state’s sovereignty, security, and stability.”

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The ministry nevertheless said that the air force had dealt with a drone approaching from Iran. It provided no further details about the drone, including whether it had been shot down or what it may have been targeting.

Iranian state television also reported Monday, citing a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that a giant oil tanker caught fire and came to a complete stop after striking two naval mines in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Revolutionary Guard said the tanker had been attempting to cross the waterway illegally. It did not identify the vessel or provide information about its crew, while warning that other ships violating its security rules would face the same fate. It stressed that compliance with its regulations governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz was mandatory.

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