Iran Dismisses Trump Claim of Kharg Island Attack as U.S. Strikes Resume

August 31, 2026 at 07:30 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Iran on Monday dismissed as “laughable” a Truth Social AI-generated post by U.S. President Donald Trump that the key Iranian oil export hub of Kharg Island is “being blown to smithereens.” U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, and Iran later claimed it struck two U.S. air bases in Jordan. Oil prices jumped in early Monday trade in Asia.

Key Facts

Kharg Island handles about 90% of all oil exports from Iran.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, inside the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran claimed the U.S. strikes killed two people and injured two others.
Iran later claimed it struck two U.S. air bases in Jordan in response to the Larak attack.
Oil prices jumped in early Monday trade in Asia following the strikes.

The Kharg Island Claim

President Trump late on Sunday posted an AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform with the caption “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT”. In response, Hamid Bovard, chief executive of government-run National Iranian Oil Company, said on Monday: “Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate.” As of Monday, there was no evidence that the island had been bombed or damaged in any way.

U.S. Strikes and Iranian Retaliation

U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, which sits inside the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. Central Command spokesperson said the attack came after the IRGC were observed “preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed “response and punishment” in retaliation for the first U.S. strikes in weeks, which Iran says claimed two lives and injured two other people. Iran later claimed it had struck two U.S. air bases in Jordan in response to the attack on Larak. Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that “Iran's armed forces will not hesitate to exercise the inherent right of self-defence” and will respond decisively and appropriately to any enemy military aggression.

Market Reaction

Oil prices jumped in early Monday trade in Asia following the resumption of hostilities.