US PRESIDENT Donald Trump warned of more strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub and called on allies to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a route used for global oil supplies, as Iran said it would intensify its response.
With the US-Israeli war on Iran in its third week, Trump said US strikes had “totally demolished” much of the island and warned that more attacks could follow. Speaking to NBC News on Saturday, he said: “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.”
The remarks marked a shift from Trump’s earlier position that the US was targeting only military sites on Kharg Island. The comments also came as diplomatic efforts to open talks have stalled, with the Trump administration brushing aside attempts by Middle Eastern allies to begin negotiations, three sources told Reuters.
The war showed no sign of ending and pressure on energy markets continued, with Iran effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Trump said Tehran appeared ready to reach a deal to end the conflict but that “the terms aren't good enough yet”.
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Energy prices have risen as the war disrupted oil supply and created pressure on markets and governments.
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump wrote: “The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” He added: “The US will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran would respond to any attack on its energy facilities.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they carried out missile and drone strikes on targets in Israel and three US bases in the region, describing the attacks as the first round of retaliation for workers killed in Iran’s industrial areas. The Israeli military said it was intercepting incoming launches.
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Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed 10 drones over Riyadh and the eastern region. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had no connection to the attack, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Oil-loading operations resumed at the ship refuelling hub of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates after a drone attack and fire on Saturday, a Fujairah-based industry source said.
Washington on Saturday warned US citizens to leave Iraq.
The war launched by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 28 has killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, according to reports from governments and state media.
At least 15 people were killed when an airstrike hit a refrigerator and heater factory in the Iranian city of Isfahan, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Saturday.
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Israel’s military said it began a broad wave of strikes on western Iran. In a statement, it said: “A short while ago, the IDF began a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in western Iran.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said they would “pursue and kill” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to their website Sepah News.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who replaced his slain father, said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed.
Trump also urged countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. None of the countries gave an immediate indication they would do so.
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of Japan’s ruling party, said he would not rule out the possibility but told NHK that “the (legal) threshold is very high.”
Japan’s government can deploy its military if the nation’s survival is threatened, but it would have to invoke a 2015 security law that has not been used.
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South Korea’s presidential office said it would decide on Trump’s request after a “careful review.”
France is seeking to form a coalition to secure the strait once the security situation stabilises, while Britain is discussing options with allies to ensure shipping security, officials said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that Russia was supplying Iran with Shahed drones for use against the US and Israel. Shahed drones have been linked to other attacks in the region, although their manufacturers are not always clear.
Zelensky also said Ukraine did not want to lose US support in its war against Russia as a result of the conflict with Iran. He said: “We are showing our willingness to help the United States and their allies in the Middle East” by offering to share Ukraine’s drone expertise, and added: “we strongly hope that as a result of the Middle East, the United States will not turn its back on the question of the war in Ukraine”.
In Iraq, authorities warned that drone attacks near Baghdad airport were threatening the security of a nearby prison holding Islamic State suspects recently transferred from Syria.
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The detainees are held in Baghdad’s al-Karkh prison, formerly known as Camp Cropper, located within the Baghdad airport complex that has been targeted by repeated strikes.
Since the start of the war, armed groups backed by Tehran have claimed daily drone and rocket attacks against US bases in Iraq.
The Pentagon also released the identities of six US crew members killed in the crash of a refuelling aircraft in western Iraq earlier this week. Authorities said the crash was not caused by “hostile fire.”
The Pentagon identified the six members as John Klinner, 33; Ariana Savino, 31; Ashley Pruitt, 34; Seth Koval, 38; Curtis Angst, 30; and Tyler Simmons, 28.
South Korea said it was evacuating 204 of its citizens and seven other nationals from the Middle East using a military aircraft, calling the operation “unprecedented.” The evacuees were expected to arrive in South Korea on Sunday afternoon.
Explosions were heard over Bahrain’s capital, Manama, early on Sunday, according to two AFP journalists.
Bahrain said it had intercepted 125 missiles and 203 drones since the start of Iran’s attacks, which have killed two people in the kingdom and 24 others in neighbouring Gulf countries.
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Elsewhere, Iraq’s football association said the national team would travel to Mexico for a 2026 World Cup playoff match despite calls for a postponement because of the war. The team will depart in the coming days ahead of the match scheduled for March 31 in Monterrey.
Formula One races scheduled for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled because of the conflict, the sport’s governing body said.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said three members of the Iranian women’s football team who had sought asylum in Australia had decided to return to Iran. One other team member also withdrew her asylum request in the past week and left the country, leaving three of the original seven asylum seekers still in Australia.
(With inputs from agencies)
