U.S. strikes Iran’s Kharg Island ahead of ‘final ultimatum’ deadline [U.S.–Iran War]

President of the United States Donald John Trump, who had warned since last month that he would strike civilian facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, ordered an attack on military installations on Kharg Island with less than a day remaining before his final ultimatum expired.
Axios reported on the 7th (local time), citing anonymous sources, that U.S. forces struck military facilities on Kharg Island, Iran’s largest crude oil export terminal. Mehr News Agency also reported that Kharg Island was hit by multiple air raids and that several explosions were heard.
Kharg Island, located off the southern coast of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the inner side of the Persian Gulf region, is a critical hub that handles more than 90% of the country’s crude oil and petroleum product exports. If this export infrastructure is destroyed, Iran’s energy sector would suffer a severe blow.
Analysts say the strike is intended as pressure to force an agreement, given that Donald Trump had earlier warned he could wipe out the entire Islamic Republic of Iran over the course of about four hours if Tehran did not comply.
According to Cable News Network (CNN) and other local outlets, Donald Trump held a press conference at the White House on the 6th (local time) and said, "They have until 8 p.m. tomorrow (the 7th)." He warned that if the Islamic Republic of Iran did not agree, "By midnight tomorrow, every bridge in Iran will be completely destroyed, every power plant will shut down, burn, and explode, and they will never be usable again." Donald Trump asserted, "Complete destruction will be carried out by midnight, and it will take place over four hours." He added, "If we want to, we can do that. But we do not want that to happen." He further warned that he could "wipe out the entire country in a single night, and that night could be tomorrow night."
Since the 21st of last month, he has demanded that the Islamic Republic of Iran open the strait, insisting that if it refused, he would target civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants. He initially set the negotiation deadline for the 6th of this month, but later extended it to 8 p.m. on the 7th. In Korean time, that corresponds to 9 a.m. on the 8th.
In response, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s joint military command, issued a spokesperson’s statement on the 7th calling Donald Trump’s rhetoric "the rude and arrogant language of a U.S. president consumed by delusions." The spokesperson stressed, "Such baseless threats will have no impact on the offensive being waged by Islamic fighters against the United States and the Zionist enemy (the State of Israel)." Foreign media also reported that Pakistan proposed a 45-day ceasefire to both sides, but that the Islamic Republic of Iran rejected the offer the same day, demanding a "permanent end to the war" instead.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 6th, citing officials, that reaching an agreement before the ultimatum expires would be difficult. The outlet suggested that Donald Trump might issue a final strike order on the 7th, or once again extend the negotiation deadline as he has done before. On the same day, Keshet 12 in the State of Israel reported that Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu had "warned against a ceasefire agreement" in his conversations with Donald Trump and had urged him not to agree to a truce.



pjw@fnnews.com Reporter Park Jong-won Reporter