The United States bombed dozens of weapons depots and air defense facilities on Kharg Island overnight in a "message" to Tehran about what will happen if the Islamic Republic does not accept the terms of President Donald Trump's ceasefire deal by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
U.S. airstrikes on the island—which hosts Iran's central oil hub—targeted "military bunkers and storage facilities, air defense systems and other military facilities," NBC News reported, while oil infrastructure remains unscathed for the time being. The Israeli military hit petrochemical sites at the South Pars gas field earlier this week, but Fox News reported that the Monday night attack on Kharg Island was solely a U.S. operation.
"This is a message to the Iranians," a senior U.S. official told Fox News's Jennifer Griffin.
Video posted on social media showed plumes of smoke rising from the island.
Trump warned that Tehran will face devastating consequences if it does not accept the terms of his 15-point peace plan.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday morning. "I don't want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!"
On Monday, after Trump threatened to take out "the entire country" in just "one night" should the regime refuse his peace offer, Tehran's leaders signaled that they are unpleased with the U.S. proposal. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the terms are "incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes."
Trump's deal requires Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a short-term ceasefire as negotiations for a long-term deal take place. Iran, however, wants a firm guarantee that hostilities will not resume and is finalizing a counter-proposal, Reuters reported.
"Iran does not hesitate to clearly express what it considers its legitimate demands and doing so should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise, but rather as a reflection of its confidence in defending its positions," Baghaei said.
Those conditions are likely a nonstarter for Trump, who made clear during a Monday press conference that "we have to have a deal that's acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be we want free traffic of oil and everything."
Israel stepped up its own targeting of Iranian infrastructure in a series of strikes Monday night. The Israel Defense Forces destroyed bridges that the Iranian military used to ship weaponry across Tehran, Karaj, Tabriz, Kashan, and Qom.
"The crossings," the IDF said, "were struck in order to prevent the Iranian terror regime from using them to transport weapons and military equipment."
