President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to order the destruction of Iran's main oil loading facility on Kharg island to force Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
Trump said in a social media post that the US military "totally obliterated every MILITARY target" on Kharg but "for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island."
Should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision," Trump posted. "Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we want to attack — There is nothing they can do about it!"
Trump's statement — as other US official statements — fall short of explicitly acknowledging that Iran has effectively enforced a near halt on oil and LNG shipments from the Mideast Gulf through Hormuz since the US-Israel attacks began on 28 February.
The Kharg terminal is in fact the only oil loading terminal in the Mideast Gulf from which some tankers continued to sail through Hormuz, most recently on 10 March. About 25pc of globally traded crude volumes and 20pc of LNG supply is unable to leave the Mideast Gulf.
Trump in remarks to reporters on Friday evening said again that the US naval escorts for commercial ships transiting Hormuz will begin "very soon". But senior US military officials on Friday declined to provide a timeline for reopening the strait of Hormuz or explain how the Pentagon will accomplish the task.
It remains unclear if and how Tehran will respond to Trump's threat. The extent of destruction at Kharg following the US raid cannot be independently verified.
Iran's military has targeted some production facilities and oil fields across the Mideast Gulf, but Tehran so far has directed most attacks at ports and ships across the Mideast Gulf.
The Trump administration is under pressure to respond to higher oil prices as a result of the war. April Nymex WTI rose by $2.98/bl to $98.71/bl on Friday, its highest level in more than three years.
