US hits military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island as war escalates

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WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said the US had bombed military targets on a critical Iranian outpost in the Persian Gulf and threatened additional strikes targeting oil infrastructure if Tehran continued to block energy flows, in the latest escalation of the two-week conflict that has upended the region.

He said the US had “executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East,” including destroying military targets on Kharg Island.

Mr Trump, writing in a social media post, added that “for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island,” though he warned Iran that he would immediately reconsider that decision if they interfered with ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

He also told reporters earlier on March 14 that the US would continue its campaign as long as necessary, while also insisting “we’re way ahead of schedule”.

He also suggested the US Navy would begin escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz “very soon”.

The 14th day of the war marked the largest attacks yet against the Islamic Republic, with the US and Israel hitting around 15,000 targets since the war began, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said. 

In Iran, officials were defiant.

Pictures posted on social media showed Mr Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and several government ministers participating in rallies on March 13.

The US is also sending the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Japan to the Middle East, a voyage that is likely to take at least a week.

The unit has up to 2,400 troops and its command vessel, the USS Tripoli, carries a squadron of F-35 fighters, V-22 Ospreys and helicopters. 

Brent crude settled above US$100 a barrel for the second straight session, ending the day at the highest level in more than three years while US crude futures settled near the highest since July 2022.

Millions of barrels of oil remain trapped in the Persian Gulf and traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz is effectively at a standstill. 

Efforts by the Trump administration and other governments to tame soaring energy costs for consumers have so far had little effect.

Asian countries are grappling with shortages of cooking gas and road fuel. In the US, gasoline prices at the pump are already at the highest levels in about two years.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on March 12 said the Islamic Republic would seek to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.

In his first public comments since succeeding his father, he also warned Tehran would look to open other fronts in the war if the US and Israeli attacks continue.

Mr Hegseth said Iran’s Supreme Leader was “likely disfigured” in the US-Israeli operation, and the fact that he had only released a written statement suggested his injuries prevented him from making public appearances. 

The US also announced that the death toll for its military operation rose.

US Central Command in a statement said all six crew members aboard a US refuelling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq on March 12 were killed, bringing to 13 the number of American service members who have died.

The loss of the plane was not due to enemy or friendly fire, the military said. 

Almost 2,600 people have died in the war, most of them in Iran, latest tolls from officials and non-government agencies show.

Almost 700 people have been killed in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-aligned Hezbollah.

A dozen Israeli civilians and two soldiers have been killed, according to the health ministry. Several more people in other Arab countries have also died.

Pro-government rallies were held across Iran on March 13 to mark Quds Day, an annual pro-Palestinian event.

An explosion was reported a few blocks away from a march in Tehran, and Iran’s Tasnim news agency said a woman was killed in a US-Israeli attack. 

The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted the flow of millions of barrels of oil a day, causing what the International Energy Agency described as the biggest hit to global supply on record.

Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE have all had to curb crude output.

The price surge has also been felt at US gas stations, where the average cost of a gallon of gas at the US pump has risen to US$3.63, the highest since May 2024, according to American Automobile Association data.

Several back channels have opened between Tehran and US allies in recent days about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to people familiar with the matter, but they were downbeat the attempts would succeed.

An Italian government official separately denied reports on talks with Iran.

Meanwhile, CNN reported Iran was considering allowing a limited number of oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, provided that the oil cargo is traded in Chinese yuan.

The leaders of Germany, Canada and Norway criticised the US decision to temporarily loosen sanctions against Russia in a separate attempt to curb surging oil prices.

The US has issued its second authorisation for buyers to take Russian oil cargoes already at sea, expanding a temporary waiver given last week to India.

Saudi Arabia, Oman and Turkey are leading ongoing mediation efforts, with the support of European countries and France taking a lead role. Qatar backed off from talks after it came under repeated attack.

Strikes on three commercial ships in the Arabian Gulf over the past two days have highlighted the risk of expanding disruptions to maritime transport.

A French military staffer was killed in an attack in Iraq’s Erbil region, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an X post. Reuters reported at least six French soldiers were wounded in a drone strike.

Turkey’s defence ministry said NATO neutralised an Iranian ballistic missile that entered the country’s airspace on March 13, the third such interception since March 4. 

In Oman, two people were killed after drones crashed in the Sohar region, state media said on March 13.

Oman’s Port of Sohar has suspended operations. Dubai, the financial hub of the United Arab Emirates, reported missile threats and Saudi Arabia intercepted more than a dozen drones in its airspace. 

Meanwhile, the US Central Command has assigned investigators to look into an attack on an all-girls elementary school on the first day of strikes on Iran that killed about 180 people. BLOOMBERG