The US military has struck targets near the strategically crucial export hub of Kharg Island and the port city of Jask, Fox News reported Tuesday, the latest military escalation in a war now in its seventh month.
(Bloomberg) — The US military has struck targets near the strategically crucial export hub of Kharg Island and the port city of Jask, Fox News reported Tuesday, the latest military escalation in a war now in its seventh month.
A Fox News reporter, citing unnamed senior US officials, said in a post on X that the targets included Iranian oil tankers and characterized it as part of a broader effort to force Tehran to capitulate.
Brent crude settled around $98 and kept climbing after reports claimed explosions had been heard from the anchorage area of Kharg. Iran’s key oil export hub, the island lies about 15 miles (24 kilometers) off the mainland and is the loading point for around 90% of the country’s crude shipments.
The White House and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While the US says it has largely shifted its focus to economic pressure on Iran, ever since then there have been repeated outbreaks of violence.
Earlier, a report from Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said a US missile had hit an Iranian tanker off the coast of Kharg. All tanker crews in the vicinity of Kuwaiti and Bahraini piers should “immediately abandon their vessels, whether at anchor or docked, as they will be targeted,” Iran’s state TV reported, citing an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps statement.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had launched an attack against US Navy ships on Monday. The report, citing unnamed US officials, said no American ships were struck.
The US and Iran have been locked in a months-long struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran largely closed off to traffic after US and Israeli forces launched the war in late February. Before the war, Hormuz handled a fifth of global oil supplies and its closure has led to a spike in global energy prices.
Iran is in talks with Oman regarding a deal to open up the waterway to traffic, but the two countries are likely to impose a fee on vessels. The US and its allies oppose any charge on the once free international waterway.
Reports of explosions near Kharg on Tuesday fueled a rise in oil prices. The island holds outsized importance in the conflict because of its crucial role in Iran’s energy infrastructure. US strikes on the island have focused on attacking military assets, but President Donald Trump has previously threatened to target oil facilities and at times floated even seizing the export hub.
–With assistance from Jen Judson and Arsalan Shahla.
(Updates with additional details throughout)
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