US President Donald Trump has said that although much of the strategic Iranian island of Harg was destroyed by US bombing, he may order further strikes on it. Meanwhile, Arab states, US allies in the region, reported disruptions to their oil industries due to Iranian retaliatory attacks.
Trump told NBC News on March 14 that US strikes had "completely destroyed" most of Harg Island - which is located about a dozen kilometers from Iranian mainland - but added that "we might hit it a few more times just for fun."
Immediately after the attack, Trump said that US forces had "totally destroyed" Iranian military targets on the island, but had not affected the oil infrastructure.
However, he threatened to strike those facilities as well if Iran cut off traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials claimed that crude oil exports continue uninterrupted from the Harg Island terminal, following what Trump described as "one of the most powerful bombings in the history of the Middle East."
The attack on Harg Island marked a major development in the conflict that began on February 28 following large-scale US and Israeli attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
Harg Island is Iran's main oil export point and serves as a terminal for about 90 percent of its oil exports.
It is located about 24 kilometers off the Iranian coast and about 480 kilometers north of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump "surprised" but not ready for a deal
Trump told NBC that he was "surprised" that Tehran decided to attack other Middle Eastern countries in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
He also claimed that Tehran is seeking to make a deal to end the conflict, but the conditions Iran is offering do not match its demands.
"Iran wants to make a deal but I don't want to do it because the conditions are not good enough yet," he said.
He did not specify what conditions he was seeking, but added that they should be "very strong" and should include a pledge that Tehran give up any nuclear ambitions.
Fear of price increases
Trump downplayed consumer concerns about the cost of energy.
"I think prices are going to fall even further than before, and I predicted them to record lows," Trump said of fuel prices, adding that they will fall quickly once the war in Iran ends.
Iran has vowed to keep the strait closed and has said oil prices could reach $200 a barrel, about double current prices, which are already very high.
After saying the day before that the US Navy would soon begin escorting ships through the strait, Trump appeared to backtrack on that statement.
"I don't want to tell you anything about that," he said in the interview, but added that "it's possible."
In an earlier post on social media, Trump said: "The countries of the world that get oil through the Strait of Hormuz need to take care of that strait and we will help them greatly!"
"The United States will also coordinate with those countries to make sure everything goes smoothly, quickly and smoothly," he added.
US regional allies also hit
Regional allies of the United States also reported attacks on oil industry facilities, further raising fears of major disruptions to global energy supplies.
Authorities in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq said operations at the Lanaz refinery in the city of Irbil remained suspended in the early hours of March 15, although a fire that broke out after a drone attack was brought under control.
Iran will target the facilities of American companies in the region if its energy facilities are attacked, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by state television, following the American attacks on Harg Island.
Iran appears to have vented its anger on the United Arab Emirates, claiming that the attack on Harg Island by US forces originated from the Emirates.
An Iranian military spokesman warned people in the United Arab Emirates to leave ports, docks and "American shelters."
United Arab Emirates officials denied that the US military had launched the attack from bases in the country, but said they reserve the right to take defensive action. /REL
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