Trump was sending message to Iran with Kharg Island post, says Vance

U.S. President Donald Trump was sending a message to Iran with his social media post about Iran's energy hub of Kharg Island being blown to ‌smithereens, Vice ⁠President JD ⁠Vance said on Monday.

"The president likes to ​switch it up on social media a little bit. He ​would be the first to say he doesn't make announcements about military actions on ​social media, but I think ⁠that he's ‌sending a message to the ​Iranians," ​Vance said when asked about Trump's ⁠post.

Trump's one-line social media post on Sunday ​was accompanied by an AI-generated video ​clip. A U.S. official said on Monday the military had not targeted Kharg Island in overnight strikes. An Iranian official dismissed Trump's post as "laughable".


Attacking Kharg, which handled ‌90% of Iran's oil exports before the war launched by U.S. and Israeli ​attacks ​on February 28, ⁠would severely disrupt its energy trade and put huge pressure on its economy.

In describing the first known ​U.S. military strikes since late July, a U.S. official said forces attacked two Iranian launchers on Larak Island.