Iran's energy trade will be destroyed if attacks on Hormuz do not stop: Trump's stern warning

Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran. He said that if Iran continues to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the country's energy trade could be completely destroyed.

Trump made this warning in a post on his social media account Truth Social on Saturday (after midnight Bangladesh time). There, he claimed that the United States Central Command of the US military has conducted one of the most powerful airstrikes in history in the Middle East and has targeted important Iranian installations.

Trump said in his message that the military installations on Kharg Island, an important energy center off the coast of Iran, were attacked and those targets were completely destroyed. However, he stated that the island's oil infrastructure was deliberately left intact.

He also said that while it has been decided not to destroy the island's energy facilities at present, if Iran or any other party obstructs or attacks the free passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will immediately reconsider that decision. This means that if necessary, Iran's energy infrastructure can also be targeted.

The strategically important Kharg Island is located about 26 kilometers off the coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf. About 90 percent of Iran's crude oil and liquefied gas are exported to the world market from this island, which is about five square miles in area. As a result, it is considered a very important center for the country's energy trade.

It is worth noting that Iran imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after the conflict with the United States and Israel began on February 28. The country's elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has warned that no commercial ships will be allowed to pass through this important waterway if the attacks by the United States and Israel do not stop.

In the past two weeks, there have been several reported attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which has raised concerns in global energy markets, as the strait carries a large portion of the world's oil and gas.

According to international analysts, a direct attack on the energy infrastructure of Kharg Island could severely damage Iran's energy exports. Such a situation could further intensify the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and cause major instability in global energy markets.