Trump calls for warships, targets Iranâs economic hub
US President Donald Trump is calling on countries to help keep shipping traffic lanes open amid soaring oil prices.
US President Donald Trump has called on countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to keep shipping traffic open amid soaring oil prices.
Trump said he hoped China, France, âJapan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others would join the United States in sending ships to the strait between Iran and Oman.
âIn the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out âof âthe shoreline, and âcontinually shooting Iranian Boats âand Ships out of the water,â he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump said many countries would send âwarships to the vital narrow waterway, but he did not provide details.
âMany Countries, especially those who âare affected âby â Iranâs attempted closure of the Hormuz âStrait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,â Trump wrote.
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Traffic through the narrow waterway â vital for global oil exports â has nearly collapsed during the war with Iran.
The war has created the biggest oil âsupply disruption in history, pushing prices sharply higher as maritime traffic has halted in a region that delivers a fifth of the worldâs oil.
Trump has also turned his sights to Iranâs Kharg Island, which is considered Iranâs economic hub and the export terminal for 90 per cent of its oil shipments.
Trump said the US had âtotally obliteratedâ military facilities on the island.
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The strikes did not target Khargâs oil infrastructure, but Trump threatened that next if Iran interfered with the ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US is targeting Iranâs Kharg Island, a tiny island off the coast of Iran. Photo: AAP
Iran, however, showed no sign of capitulating or bowing to US-Israeli military pressure.
Iran retaliated by saying it would attack any âoil companies co-operating with the US â in the region, Iranian media reported.
Iranâs semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing sources, that more than 15 explosions were heard on the island during the US attacks.
âThe sources said air defences, a naval base and airport facilities were hit, but there was no damage to oil infrastructure.
Much of the oil shipped from Iran via Kharg goes to China, the top global crude importer.
Markets were watching for any sign that US â strikes had damaged the islandâs intricate network of pipelines, terminals and storage tanks.
Oil prices have swung sharply on Trumpâs changing comments about the âlikely duration of âthe war, which began with massive US and Israeli bombardments of Iran and quickly spread into a regional conflict with broad consequences for worldwide energy and stock markets.
The US embassy in the Iraqi âcapital Baghdad was hit in a missile attack on Saturday, causing smoke to rise from the building, Iraqi security sources said.
-with AAP/DPA
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