An artificial intelligence-generated video depicting missiles raining down on a key Iranian island to destroy oil processing infrastructure has been confirmed by US Vice President JD Vance as a warning to Tehran.
President Donald Trump posted the video on his Truth Social account on Sunday evening (local time) and followed up on Monday with posts calling Iran a "dead" and "failed" state.
Speaking to reporters at an air force base in Maryland on Monday, Vance said the posts were intended to convey that there would be "consequences" if Iran continued to fire on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
"We know they keep shooting at commercial ships. We have a lot of tools to stop that, or at least minimize it, and that's what the president is talking about," Vance said. "You're shooting at commercial ships. You're acting like a terrorist state. You need to stop or you will face consequences."
Kharg Island in the Gulf handles about 90% of Iran's oil exports. Trump has threatened to attack the island and even had plans to occupy it since the conflict with Iran and Israel began on February 28. In March, US forces struck military facilities on the island but avoided targeting oil infrastructure.
The threats come amid the first exchange of fire between the US and Iran in nearly a month. On Sunday, the US said it targeted missile launchers on Iran's Larak Island, which was preparing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The US has been working for months to clear these mines from the area to reopen the route for commercial shipping.
In response, Iran launched missiles at three air bases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan where US forces are stationed, but none hit their targets.
Last week, the US announced it had reached a deal with Venezuela to take control of much of the country's oil reserves, the largest confirmed oil reserves in the world. US forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, and the new Venezuelan government subsequently lifted restrictions on foreign involvement in its oil sector.
