Trump says Iran's Kharg is being 'blown to smithereens', but gives no details

On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on social media that Iran's strategic energy hub, Kharg Island, was being destroyed, accompanied by a video clip. However, there was no concrete proof to support the assertion. Neither the White House nor the U.S. Defense Department provided any response to Reuters' inquiries outside regular business hours. Trump's post on Iranian media received no immediate commentary as well.

The claim that Kharg Island was "blown to smithereens" came without any additional information. Reuters confirmed that the accompanying video, depicting intense explosions, was likely artificially generated using software capable of detecting AI-manipulated imagery. Kharg Island, which managed 90 percent of Iran's oil exports before the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel on February 28, would cause significant disruption to its energy trade and exert considerable strain on its economy if targeted.

In response to an earlier U.S. attack on rocket launchers on the Iranian island of Larak, located approximately 660 km (410 miles) east of Kharg, Iran retaliated.