Strikes on Iran to continue, Trump threatens to take Kharg Island

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

After trying to negotiate with Iran through talks for over two months, President Donald Trump is back to using bombs to pressure the Islamic Republic to make a deal.

On Wednesday evening, the U.S. targeted Iran with nearly 50 missile strikes. The president announced Thursday morning that Iran would be hit “hard” again for another night, planning to ramp up operations to take over Iran’s oil infrastructure.

“The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, radar, anti aircraft, and other forms of defense, together with most offensive capability, are gone!), VERY HARD TONIGHT. 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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The president compared his plans to take control of Kharg Island to the U.S. taking control of Venezuela’s oil markets.

Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf, is key to Iran’s economy as it processes nearly 90% of the country’s oil exports.

Despite the ongoing attacks, the president has indicated talks with Iran are ongoing, with Trump claiming Iranian leadership asked him to stop bombing.

The president told Fox News Thursday that he could “take over the whole place,” but that would require American troops on the ground, but he doesn’t want to “have boots on the ground.”

“We can walk in there tomorrow. We could take soldiers, I don’t want to have boots on the ground, but if I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place,” Trump told Fox News.

The president has described the Iranian regime as “proud,” but said “they’re in submission” while adding that “they just don’t know it yet.”

Trump said the U.S. “dropped $250 million worth of bombs” on Iran Wednesday night, with U.S. Central Command saying that American forces targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites.”

CENTCOM described the actions as “self-defense strikes” in “response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.”

The latest strikes follow the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. The two soldiers on board were rescued and uninjured.

Trump noted that it was Iran’s attack on a U.S. Army Apache by a drone that set the impending strikes on the Islamic Republic in motion, while noting he had grown frustrated with the Islamic Republic “tapping” the U.S. along for more than two months in negotiations.

American forces carried out nearly two dozen strikes on Iran Tuesday evening. Iran has responded to the strikes both nights by targeting U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Early Wednesday, Trump put out a Truth Social post saying the Islamic Republic would pay the price for not making a deal.

“Iran’s military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore – they have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Before the ceasefire, which took effect April 8, the president warned Iran that the U.S. could strike infrastructure and power plants inside Iran if they didn’t come to the table.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran began to reheat in the past few weeks, with the U.S. and the Islamic Republic exchanging fire, with U.S. Central Command describing the strikes as “self-defensive” in nature. Trump underscored that the ceasefire remained intact and talks were ongoing, describing them as “love taps.”