Trump Threatens to 'Seize Kharg Island' and 'Hit Iran Very Hard' Tonight

US President Donald Trump on June 12 posted on Truth Social, declaring that the US will “hit Iran very hard tonight” and “in the not-too-distant future, we will seize Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points.”

The remarks came after the US and Iran exchanged two days of strikes, shaking negotiations aimed at reaching a lasting ceasefire. According to Al Jazeera, the statements signal Washington’s readiness to return to full-scale war, despite Trump’s recent oscillation between belligerent threats and diplomatic overtures.

In the post, Trump wrote: “The United States will hit Iran (whose navy, air force, radar, air defense, and every form of defense, along with most offensive capabilities, have all DISAPPEARED!) VERY HARD TONIGHT. In the not-too-distant future, we will seize Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points, and take full control of their oil market.”

Kharg Island, often called the “heart of Iran’s oil empire” as it handles 90% of the country’s crude exports, has long been under tight military control. In a subsequent interview with Fox News, Trump admitted that seizing Kharg Island had always been a “priority” for him but expressed doubt about the US readiness to deploy ground troops in Iran: “I don’t know if America has the courage for that.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared that the latest US airstrikes rendered the existing ceasefire “meaningless.” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, described the attacks as “a complete and widespread nullification of the ceasefire.”

According to Iranian media, recent US strikes targeted the port city of Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, the southern towns of Sirik and Minab, and Karaj west of Tehran. In response, Iran struck US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Trump also accused Iran of shooting down a US helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz on June 10.

Following the new airstrikes, Iran announced a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – a vital waterway and Tehran’s key leverage in the conflict. US officials had signaled over recent weeks that a deal was close, but provided few specifics on sticking points such as Iran’s nuclear program, control of the Strait of Hormuz, or the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Analysts say the Trump administration is constrained by a political goal: securing a deal with better terms than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump unilaterally withdrew from that agreement in 2018 and, since beginning his second term in 2025, has struck Iran twice amid ongoing negotiations over its nuclear program.

On June 12, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared that any damage Iran “causes to our Gulf allies will be paid for with funds drawn from” Iran’s frozen assets, estimated at about $100 billion globally.

Al Jazeera correspondent Kimberly Halkett in Washington, DC noted that Trump appears to be using military pressure and inflammatory language to push Iran to the negotiating table. “What is clear is that the US President continues to mix public threats with what he believes is still possible: diplomacy under the gun,” Halkett said.

Abas Aslani, a senior research fellow at Iran’s Center for Strategic Studies of the Middle East, assessed that the Trump administration “wants to escalate to create leverage at the negotiating table, pressuring Tehran to make concessions it has never made before.” For its part, Tehran’s priority is “restoring deterrence” against further attacks.

Also on June 12, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had disabled three oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman as part of a blockade of Iranian ports. India called on the US to halt the attacks on June 12, stating that three Indian sailors were killed in a US airstrike on a vessel.