US Launches Additional Strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, Says Oil Infrastructure Was Not Hit
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A US official said American forces carried out fresh strikes on military targets on Kharg Island, while Vice President JD Vance said the operation did not mark any change in Washington’s strategy.
The United States has carried out additional strikes on military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, according to a US official, who said the operation did not affect the island’s oil infrastructure despite its strategic importance to Iranian exports.
The US military launched additional strikes on military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island in the early hours of Tuesday, a US official said, as the Trump administration signaled it is still holding back from hitting energy infrastructure while waiting to see whether Tehran makes an acceptable proposal
The latest strike followed earlier reporting from Axios and was later confirmed to Reuters by a US official speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said at least some of the targets hit in Tuesday’s operation had already been struck before, and stressed that the attack did not impact oil infrastructure on the island.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Hungary, said the operation was in line with the current US approach and did not represent any broader shift in policy. According to Reuters, Vance said the United States had intended to strike military targets on Kharg Island and had done so, while making clear that energy and infrastructure sites would not be targeted unless Iran either failed to present a proposal or offered one Washington could not support.
Kharg Island remains one of the most strategically sensitive locations in Iran because it handles the vast majority of the country’s oil exports. Reuters reported in March that around 90% of Iran’s crude exports move through the island, making it a critical node for global energy markets and a highly sensitive target in the conflict.
US forces had already struck Kharg Island in mid-March. At the time, President Donald Trump said military targets there had been “totally obliterated” and warned that oil infrastructure could be targeted next if Iran did not change course. Reuters also reported that more than 90 Iranian military targets were hit in those earlier strikes while the oil infrastructure was deliberately preserved.
The renewed operation comes as markets and regional governments closely watch whether the Trump administration will continue limiting its attacks to military sites or expand to Iran’s energy infrastructure if negotiations collapse. Reuters said that, for now, Vance’s remarks indicate Washington is still using the threat of escalation as leverage rather than shifting immediately toward a broader energy war
