Trump Threatens to 'Shatter' Kharg Island! US Bombing of Larak Island Triggers Iranian Retaliation, Shipping Crisis in Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on the social platform Truth Social on Sunday (30th), depicting Iran's oil hub Kharg Island being blown to 'pieces.' Just hours earlier, the US and Iran had launched mutual attacks for the first time since July, heightening tensions in the Middle East.

According to Reuters, it is unclear whether Trump's post was a threat to attack Kharg Island or an implication that an attack had already occurred. Hours after the post, there was no indication that Kharg Island had actually been attacked.

(Image: Trump's Truth Social)

However, Reuters used software capable of detecting AI-generated image manipulation and concluded that the video showing intense explosions was likely synthetically produced.

On that day, Trump simply wrote on Truth Social: 'Kharg Island has been blown to pieces!!!!!' without further explanation.

Kharg Island is one of Iran's most critical oil export hubs. Before the US and Israel launched military actions on February 28, the island handled about 90% of Iran's oil exports. An attack on the island could severely disrupt Iran's energy trade and further increase economic pressure.

According to Iranian state media on Monday (31st), President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran does not seek war but will respond firmly to any aggression. It is currently unclear whether this statement was made before or after Trump's Kharg Island post.

Pezeshkian said: 'We will not remain silent in the face of any aggression and will firmly respond to the aggressors.'

Military conflict between the US and Iran has recently reignited. According to Iranian media, after US forces attacked rocket launchers on Larak Island, Iran immediately retaliated by attacking two US military bases in Jordan. Additionally, Iran's military announced on Monday that it had launched an attack on the Al Minhad air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Iran's Foreign Ministry stated in a release that the attacks on Jordan targeted bases used to launch and support US military operations against Larak Island. According to Jordan's state television, the country's armed forces intercepted eight missiles entering its airspace; a Fox News reporter posted on X that nearly all incoming missiles had been intercepted.

Iran's military said the drone attack on the UAE air base targeted locations where US troops and helicopters were stationed, in response to casualties caused by the attack on Larak Island.

Larak Island is a small island located about 660 kilometers east of Kharg Island, near the strategically important Bandar Abbas port within the Strait of Hormuz.

Regarding the attack on Larak Island, US officials said American forces observed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) troops preparing to launch rockets carrying naval mines to deploy in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command stated in a release that US forces conducted 'limited and precise' actions against the IRGC's mine-laying units, which posed a 'imminent threat' in the Strait of Hormuz, though it did not disclose further details.

Trump had previously stated that all naval mines in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz had been detonated or cleared, warning that any vessel attempting to re-mine the strait would be destroyed.

Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency quoted a Revolutionary Guard statement on Monday, reporting that the Guard had shot down a US military drone using an air defense missile, which eventually crashed into the Persian Gulf.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television, citing a Revolutionary Guard statement, reported that a supertanker caught fire and completely stopped moving after being hit by two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz.

The Revolutionary Guard claimed the tanker had attempted to pass through the waters illegally but did not disclose the vessel's name or crew information, warning that other ships violating its mandatory passage rules could face similar consequences.

Although Trump has repeatedly claimed the Strait of Hormuz remains open, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy has countered that this is a 'blatant lie,' reiterating that no vessel may pass without Iran's permission.

Shipping data shows that during the weekend's heightened tensions, the number of commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to about five per day. However, since some vessels may have turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) to reduce the risk of attack, the actual number of transits may be higher than visible data suggests.

As military conflict reignites, the Trump administration had been gradually de-prioritizing military options over the past few weeks, shifting instead to pressuring Iran and its business partners through economic sanctions.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Reuters interview on Sunday that the US might announce new 'secondary sanctions' weekly, initially targeting the banking system.

Bessent said the US is starting 'with banks' and sending a message to financial institutions not to hold Iranian funds or assist the Iranian regime.

On Friday, the US imposed sanctions on the UAE branch of Egypt's Banque Misr over suspected financial dealings with Iran. Bessent said the next step could involve further cutting off such financial institutions from the US dollar-based global financial system.

He said, 'You will see more of these measures every week.'