Trump threatens to seize Kharg Island and control Iran's oil markets

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Iran-US war latest: Trump threatens to seize key island and take ‘total control’ of Tehran’s oil and gas markets

Trump said the US will be striking Iranian targets ‘VERY HARD TONIGHT’

Donald Trumphas issued another bombastic warning for Iran, threatening to seize the key strategic Kharg Island after striking the country “hard”.

“The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“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,” he added.

It came after Iran declared the ceasefire with Washington “practically meaningless” after US forces fired 49 Tomahawk missiles on Wednesday.

Both sides traded strikes for the second day in a row, throwing leaving a fragile ceasefire in jeopardy.

Tehran condemned the “illegal and criminal attacks” by the US - which they claimed violate the UN Charter - and warned US leaders will be held responsible.

US Central Command (Centcom) said it launched “self-defence strikes” on targets across Iran overnight, including military surveillance and air defence sites.

In response, Iran launched strikes targeting 18 US airbases in the Gulf region, forcing the Kuwaiti government to temporarily shut its airspace and Bahrain to sound air sirens.

Are the latest strikes between Trump and Iran the prelude to all-out war - or just the new normal?

The latest strikes between the US and Iran represent a new limbo period where both sides are neither obeying a ceasefire nor fully fighting, experts have warned, as each side carries out symbolic strikes aimed at pressuring their opponent into making concessions.

Tehran and Washington’s latest escalation is “carefully choreographed” and part of a “diplomatic dance” between Tehran and Washington, analysts say. But the longer it goes on, the higher the risk it could develop into a new round of conflict.

The US fired 49 Tomahawk missiles at Iran on Wednesday as both sides traded strikes for the second day in a row. Iran launched strikes targeting 18 US airbases in the Gulf region, forcing the Kuwaiti government to temporarily shut its airspace and Bahrain to sound air sirens.

Read more here:

Are latest strikes between Trump and Iran the prelude to all-out war or a new normal?

Tehran has said that the latest round of US strikes has left the ceasefire ‘practically meaningless’, but Washington maintains that diplomacy is continuing. Experts tell Alex Croft that the chances of a terrible miscalculation are increasing

Alex Croft11 June 2026 15:00

US military disables oil tanker in Gulf of Oman

The US military has said on Thursday that it disabled a third oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman overnight as it was trying to move Iranian oil through an American blockade.

The military added that it was the third commercial ship disabled by U.S. forces this week.

"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) acted against Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman,” it said in a statement.

“A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces," it added.

Alex Croft11 June 2026 14:47

Trump: I don't think America has the stomach for more war

As we reported earlier, Donald Trump is once again training his sights on Iran's oil infrastructure hub Kharg Island.

But speaking to Fox News, the US president said he was not sure Americans have the appetite for a major escalation in the war.

"We are talking to them and all, but you know, look, my preference has always been - take Kharg Island ... my preference would be that. I don't know that America has the stomach for it," he said.

Trump said the U.S. will attack Iran again with intensified strikes on Thursday night but he would rather not hit bridges and power plants.

"There will be more bombing tonight. It will be bigger - bigger, more powerful," he said on the "Fox & Friends" program.

Despite plans for more strikes, Trump said the U.S. is still talking with Iran to reach a deal.

Alex Croft11 June 2026 14:28

Tanker with Indian crew hit near Oman in suspected third US strike this week

India's shipping ministry has said that all 20 Indian crew members were safe after a suspected US strike on the asphalt tanker Jalveer off Oman on Thursday.

The incident coms after two similar strikes involving Indian crews in the region this week.

Three Indian sailors died in a US strike on the Settebello tanker off Oman a day earlier.

The Guinea-Bissau flagged Jalveer sent a distress call while off Oman's port of Shinas after a fire broke out around its engine room and funnel, British maritime risk management company Vanguard said.

An Indian shipping ministry official said the crew were being evacuated in coordination with the Royal Navy of Oman.

The ship was attacked by the U.S. Navy, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.

"The cause of the fire has not been disclosed; however, ...this was likely the result of U.S. operations to blockade Iranian ports," British maritime security company Ambrey said.

Alex Croft11 June 2026 14:16

Alex Croft11 June 2026 14:02

Is Kharg Island Iran’s Achilles Heel? Why Trump has designs on tiny oil hub in the Persian Gulf

Kharg sits 16 miles from the coast in the northern end of the Gulf and just northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important shipping route that Iran has effectively closed to pile pressure on the US.

While US forces could likely seize Kharg quite quickly, analysts say that an occupation is more likely to expand and prolong the war than it is to deliver a decisive victory or leverage in negotiations.

Iran has fortified the island with additional surface-to-air missiles and laid traps including anti-personnel and anti-armour mines in the waters surrounding it, CNN has reported, citing people familiar with US intelligence.

Our April explainer on Kharg Island, by foreign affairs reporters James Reynolds and Maira Butt:

Is Kharg Island Iran’s Achilles Heel? Why Trump has designs on tiny Gulf oil hub

The island holds 94 per cent of Iran’s oil exports and could choke off the country’s economy for years. Maira Butt and James C. Reynolds report

Alex Croft11 June 2026 13:56

Trump: We will hit Iran very hard tonight - before seizing Kharg Island soon

Donald Trump has returned with another bombastic warning for Iran, stating the US military will strike it “VERY HARD TONIGHT”.

The US president added that his forces will be “taking Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points” in the “not too distant future”.

“[We will] assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America,” he added.

Alex Croft11 June 2026 13:39

3 Indians were killed on tanker shot by US military, Indian official says

An Indian official said Thursday that three Indian mariners were killed on board a tanker targeted by the U.S. military over allegedly violating America’s blockade on Iran.

Sarbananda Sonowal announced the three mariners’ killing on X in the attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello.

“Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after two bodies were recovered,” he wrote. It wasn’t clear where the third body was.

Read more here:

3 Indians were killed on tanker shot by US military, Indian official says

An Indian official said Thursday that three Indian mariners were killed on board a tanker targeted by the U.S. military over allegedly violating America’s blockade on Iran

Alex Croft11 June 2026 13:34

India summons US diplomat after two Indian sailors killed in US attacks

India has summoned a top American diplomat in New Delhi after two Indian seafarers were killed and another was reported missing after US struck a commercial tanker off the coast of Oman.

Deck cadet Aditya Sharma and engine fitter Shivanand Chaurasiya were killed, while chief engineer Patnala Suresh was reported missing following the incident on Wednesday.

The US military's Central Command said a US aircraft "fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the ​crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces".

Centcom said it disabled the Palau-flagged oil products tanker Settebello ​as it transited the Gulf of Oman, adding that it had "violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport ⁠oil from Iran".

Alex Croft11 June 2026 13:10

Kremlin calls on US and Iran to exercise restraint

The Kremlin on Thursday called on the United States and Iran to exercise restraint and continue negotiations to end their war.

The two sides have been exchanging attacks as US president Donald Trump threatened further escalation following a renewal of conflict this week.

The attacks by the US overnight on Wednesday were the latest development in an escalating exchange of strikes that threatens to reignite a full-scale war, which was paused in early April when the two sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire.

Alex Croft11 June 2026 12:47