Trump threatens to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal and strike country 'very hard' amid escalating attacks

U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to strike Iran "very hard" and seize its vital Kharg Island oil terminal amid escalating military exchanges that have shattered a month-old ceasefire. Iran has launched counterattacks on U.S. bases in the region, while U.S. forces are enforcing a naval blockade that killed three Indian sailors. The conflict has killed thousands and driven up global fuel prices.

Trump threats against Iran

• ▪On June 11, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces would hit Iran "very hard tonight."
• ▪Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran's parliamentary security committee, warned that President Trump would receive a "stronger and more painful response" for any "uncalculated" move.
• ▪President Donald Trump threatened that the U.S. would soon take "total control" of Iran's oil and gas infrastructure and markets.
• ▪Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned that "impulsive decisions" by the U.S. would create an "endless quagmire."

Kharg Island seizure proposal

• ▪Kharg Island is the terminal for 90% of Iran's oil exports, as much of the country's coastline is too shallow for tankers to dock.
• ▪President Donald Trump stated the U.S. will take control of Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal "in the not too distant future."
• ▪Despite threatening to seize Kharg Island, President Trump said in an interview, "I don’t want to have boots on the ground."

US-Iran military strikes exchange

• ▪Iran accused the U.S. of striking reservoirs that supplied drinking water to 10 villages, calling it a "calculated war crime."
• ▪Debris from intercepted Iranian drones in Bahrain injured an 11-year-old girl and damaged homes and vehicles.
• ▪Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched counterattacks on U.S. military targets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan.
• ▪The U.S. military launched strikes targeting Iran's military surveillance, communications, and air defense sites.

Ceasefire status deterioration

• ▪Iran's conditions for a peace deal include an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of frozen assets.
• ▪Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that recent U.S. attacks had "effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless."
• ▪The war, which began on February 28, has killed thousands of people, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, and pushed up global oil prices.
• ▪The exchange of strikes on June 10-11, 2026, threatened a tenuous ceasefire that had been in place for over a month.

Strait of Hormuz blockade

• ▪U.S. CENTCOM stated it struck the Settebello after its crew "repeatedly failed to comply with directions" from American forces.
• ▪A U.S. strike on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello on June 10, 2026, killed three Indian sailors.
• ▪The U.S. military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports, having disabled at least eight ships since April 13.
• ▪Following the deaths of its citizens, India summoned a U.S. diplomat and demanded an end to the attacks.

Iranian civilian hardship

• ▪A student in Babol, Iran, reported that many Iranians are struggling to afford groceries and fear "chaos."

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