The Qatari channel Al-Araby reported strikes on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, saying they caused power outages across large parts of the island. Iran's Mehr news agency confirmed that several strikes hit the island.
US officials told Fox News and Axios that the United States carried out dozens of strikes against military targets on Kharg Island in the gulf. Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin added that the targets on the Iranian island included bunkers, a radar station and ammunition depots, and that landing piers were not intentionally targeted. She also said the massive strikes on the strategic oil island of Kharg were carried out exclusively by US forces, with no Israeli involvement. According to the official, the attack was intended as "a clear message to the regime in Tehran" amid its refusal to open the Strait of Hormuz.
US officials also told The Wall Street Journal that the United States struck more than 50 military targets.
US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!"
According to previous statements by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, US forces had already struck dozens of targets on Kharg in the past, including air defense systems, a naval base and mine storage facilities. The Trump administration had also previously warned that it would not rule out taking control of the island, which is responsible for more than 90% of the country's oil exports.
At the same time as the attack in the gulf, reports emerged of damage to transportation infrastructure in central Iran. According to the reports, a railway line in the Kashan area of central Iran was attacked, and there was also a report of a strike on a bridge near the city of Qom.
The strikes came after the IDF issued an unusual warning to Iranian civilians, urging them to avoid using trains throughout the day.
