With the US-Israeli war on Iran in its third week, Trump said US strikes had “totally demolished” much of the island and warned of more, telling NBC News on Saturday, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.”
The remarks marked a sharp escalation from Trump, who had previously said the US was targeting only military sites on Kharg, and undercut diplomatic efforts. His administration has rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start negotiations, three sources told Reuters.
The war showed no sign of ending. Trump said Tehran appeared ready to make a deal to end the conflict but that “the terms aren’t good enough yet.”
Tehran’s ability to halt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, poses a difficult problem for the US and its allies. Energy prices are soaring as the war causes the biggest-ever disruption in oil supply, and the energy crisis looks set to continue.
–Reuters–
