Trump Again Threatens to Target Iran's Kharg Island - Sarmad
(Royters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday again threatened to target Iran’s Kharg Island.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social account: “Bye bye Kharg,” attaching an AI-generated image of explosions on the island and a plane conducting airstrikes against it.
Trump also wrote that Iran is suffering from hyperinflation and that the “Iranian currency has been wiped out.”
He pointed out that Iran’s oil exports are declining sharply, while oil volumes in the Strait of Hormuz have returned to previous levels, according to his statement.
For its part, Iran said it would intensify efforts to address problems caused by U.S. sanctions that cripple its economy, while a senior Iranian official warned of a “painful response” if the country faces new attacks.
After a pause in military operations for most of August, the exchange of strikes resumed, with U.S. Central Command stating it targeted three Iranian tankers on Saturday in response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships.
Following the attacks, Iranian Assembly of Experts Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must realize “before it is too late” that the rules of the game in the war against Iran have changed.
He said in a speech posted on his Telegram channel: “From now on, any aggression against Iran’s interests and security will be met with a faster, harsher, and more painful response.”
Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, announced on Sunday, according to state media, that a no-fly zone outside the Strait of Hormuz would be declared in the coming days.
He added that the zone would include areas in the Gulf. Little detail was initially revealed about the plan, but Rezaei confirmed that any ship entering the new zone would be placed on a sanctions list.
Tehran has shown it still possesses the capability to target U.S. interests in neighboring countries and to halt oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil supplies passed before the war broke out.
*Sanctions and blockade press on the economy
Despite this, three senior Iranian sources said that the U.S. campaign to choke Iran’s economy by imposing a blockade on its oil exports and preventing sanctions evasion has become increasingly difficult to bear.
Qalibaf said in his Sunday speech that Iran’s main battle, alongside the military front, is now linked to production and citizens’ livelihoods.
He pointed to sharp fluctuations in the currency exchange rate, inflation, unemployment, and market management as major challenges, adding that Iranians can endure hardships but cannot tolerate mismanagement or inaction, and expect the government to act swiftly.
State media quoted Iranian Economy Minister Ali Modenizadeh on Sunday as saying that Tehran intends to counter U.S. economic pressure through reforms, rejecting the idea that sanctions will force it to change its approach.
