Trump threatens to strike Iran ‘very hard, tonight’ and to take Kharg Island

Donald Trump: ‘At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg island.’ Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Donald Trump: ‘At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg island.’ Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Shutterstock Trump threatens to strike Iran ‘very hard, tonight’ and to take Kharg Island US president warns of further military action as both sides accuse each other of breaching temporary ceasefire Middle East crisis – live updates US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump has said the US will take control of Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure and launch further strikes on Iran on Thursday night, just hours after the countries exchanged fire for the second consecutive day despite a nominal ceasefire being in place. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US would hit Iran “VERY HARD, TONIGHT”, claiming that most of Iran’s offensive capacity had been destroyed. He also said the US would seize Kharg, an island in the Gulf that handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports and hosts vast storage facilities. Trump said: “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, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.” locator He later told Fox News that he would rather avoid hitting Iranian bridges and power plants, despite having threatened to do so earlier in the week. The latest comments came after Iran and the US traded strikes for a second successive day, triggered by the downing of a US helicopter above the strait of Hormuz. The ceasefire, established in early April, has been undermined by sporadic retaliatory strikes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the temporary truce. Trump said Thursday’s assault was prompted by Iran stalling in negotiations aimed at turning the temporary ceasefire into a permanent peace. The most intense strikes yet took place on Thursday morning, with the US launching a wide-ranging salvo against what it described as “military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air-defence sites across Iran”. The US military said it also struck an oil tanker near the strait of Hormuz that it claimed was attempting to breach a blockade of Iranian ports, firing Hellfire missiles at the vessel. View image in fullscreen US forces strike an oil tanker in the Gulf on 10 June. Photograph: CentCom View image in fullscreen Photograph: CentCom An Indian official said a US strike had killed three Indian crew members, though it was unclear whether the ship was the same one referenced by the US military. Iran launched missiles and drones at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it did on Wednesday morning. Bahrain’s interior ministry said an 11-year-old girl had been injured, while homes and vehicles were damaged by falling debris from interceptions. Desp