Trump threatens to strike Iran 'very hard tonight' and seize Kharg Island oil facilities

Escalation after ceasefire

A fragile ceasefire agreed in April between the United States and Iran has come under severe strain this week. President Donald Trump’s latest post on Truth Social marks his most serious threat since before the truce and comes as peace talks remain stalled. The announcement follows days of intensifying tit‑for‑tat strikes that have drawn in both US forces and Iranian proxies.

Trump’s Truth Social message

In a post on Thursday morning, Trump wrote:

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.

At some point in the not‑too‑distant future, we will take Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their oil and gas markets, very much like we have done with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.

Kharg Island in the crosshairs

Kharg Island is Iran’s most critical oil terminal, handling the vast majority of the country’s crude exports. Trump explicitly compared the planned seizure to the US operation in Venezuela, suggesting a long‑term occupation aimed at controlling Iranian hydrocarbon flows. The threat has immediately raised concerns over global energy supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

The trigger: an Apache downed

The immediate trigger was the downing of a US Apache helicopter by an Iranian drone on Tuesday. The drone did not fully explode, allowing both crew members to survive. Since then, the US has launched airstrikes inside Iran, and Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard has claimed responsibility for drone attacks on American bases in Bahrain and across the Middle East, calling them retaliation.

Cycle of retaliation

By Wednesday and Thursday, Washington and Tehran had traded attacks for two consecutive days. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard described its drone barrage as “represalia.” With Trump’s latest threat, the cycle of violence shows no sign of abating, and the planned US strike tonight is set to deepen the crisis.