Trump says Kharg Island is being ‘blown to smithereens’ as US-Iran tensions flare

US President Donald Trump has intensified his rhetoric against Iran, posting a message on Truth Social saying “KHARG ISLAND BEING BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS” as tensions between Washington and Tehran surged following a fresh exchange of fire around the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump's post, accompanied by a video, came after US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, marking the first known American military action against Iran since late July. The United States said the launchers were being prepared to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the strategically vital waterway.

Also Read: Iran launches ballistic missiles at US air bases in Jordan, claims state media


The latest US action triggered an immediate Iranian response. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched ballistic missiles at US military bases in Jordan, while Iranian state media claimed the attacks targeted technical and maintenance infrastructure and fighter-jet positions at the King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases.

Jordanian air defences intercepted the Iranian missile launches, according to Al Arabiya.

The escalation comes as Washington seeks to maintain pressure on Tehran both militarily and economically. The US Central Command said its forces had redirected 83 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as part of the US blockade against Iran as of August 30.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have vowed retaliation for the US strike on Larak Island, with IRGC spokesman and public relations chief Hossein Mohebbi describing the attack as a “grave blunder” that would carry consequences for Washington.

Also Read: US strikes Iranian rocket launchers near Larak Island on Strait of Hormuz; Tehran vows retaliation

“This action was a strategic and fatal error by the Trump regime in the course of the economic war, an error that will shift the balance against its planners and will entail heavy costs,” Mohebbi said. “The enemy will pay the consequences of this miscalculation in both the economic and military arenas.”

The latest military exchange follows the Trump administration's widening economic campaign against Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on August 24 announced “Operation Economic Outcast”, aimed at cutting Iran off from global financial networks and restricting revenue sources linked to the regime.

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the central flashpoint in the latest confrontation. The narrow waterway is a crucial route for global energy shipments, and Washington has stepped up efforts to keep commercial traffic moving while accusing Iran of threatening maritime security. The US said the Larak launchers posed an imminent threat because they were being prepared to deploy sea mines into the strait.