President Donald Trump escalated his confrontation with Tehran on Thursday, promising to strike Iran “very hard tonight” after a fresh exchange of attacks that rekindled fears of a full-scale war in the Middle East. The president declared that American forces would seize Kharg Island, the linchpin of Iran’s oil exports, and take “total control” of the country’s energy markets.
The threats followed a new round of U.S. strikes early Thursday, which Iranian media reported targeted sites near the Strait of Hormuz, including Bandar Abbas and Minab County. This area was the scene of an earlier missile strike, believed to be American, that killed scores of school children. Fox News reported that Trump claimed he had resumed direct negotiations with Iran after the latest attacks, a statement Iranian officials vehemently denied through state media.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT. At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela.”
The crisis also claimed lives at sea. India confirmed that three of its sailors died and 21 were rescued after a U.S. strike on a tanker off Oman, part of a blockade targeting Iran-linked shipping. The U.S. Navy has disabled eight vessels and turned back 134 since the blockade began on April 13. Central Command said Tuesday’s precision strike on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman was carried out with “precision munitions.” Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed the deaths on Thursday.
Trump urged Congress to approve a $350 billion legislative package as a down payment on his $1.5 trillion Pentagon funding proposal, which he said would enable a military buildup surpassing even Ronald Reagan’s 1980s expansion. The funds would “supercharge our ammunition stockpiles,” depleted by the war with Iran, and finance projects like the “Golden Dome” missile defense system and new F-47 and B-21 aircraft. He called for approval through a parliamentary maneuver allowing Republicans to bypass Democratic opposition, a tactic recently used for immigration funding. Key GOP lawmakers, however, signaled it was unlikely to be deployed again this year. “No games, no delays, and no weak compromises!” Trump demanded on social media. “Do this ASAP.”
