President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. had carried out a bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, a strategically vital island in the Persian Gulf that serves as the country’s largest oil terminal and a crucial hub for its crude exports.

«Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,» Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The island, located roughly 35 miles off Iran’s Bushehr province in the country’s southwest, is about the size of New York City’s Central Park but carries huge importance for Iran’s economy.

It has a loading capacity of about 7 million barrels per day, and roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports pass through it. Most of those exports are shipped to China and India, underscoring the island’s importance not only to Iran’s energy trade but also to broader global oil markets.

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That makes Kharg Island one of Iran’s most sensitive and strategically important pieces of infrastructure. Any military action there could have consequences well beyond Iran, raising the risk of disruptions to crude flows, shipping traffic and energy prices across the region.

Trump said the U.S. had deliberately avoided targeting the island’s oil infrastructure, while warning that could change if Iran moved to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

«Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,» Trump added.

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The latest revelation comes as the widening conflict in the Middle East rattles global energy markets and raises fresh fears about the security of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil choke point.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day and about one-fifth of the global supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). When conflict flares in the region, even the threat of disruption can rattle markets because so much of the world’s energy moves through that single corridor.

A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, vital for global energy supply. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

That threat is already rippling through energy markets.

This week, benchmark oil prices punched back above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, underscoring how quickly geopolitical shocks can ripple through the energy complex.

That jump is showing up at the pump. As oil prices climb, gasoline and diesel prices are rising fast — especially diesel, which can move quickly because it’s tied closely to freight and industrial demand.

On Friday, the national average for regular gasoline rose to about $3.63 a gallon, according to AAA.  Diesel prices have also jumped, with the national average up $1.23 to $4.89 a gallon.

A woman pumps gas at a station in New York as prices climb nationwide due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. (Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)

As energy costs accelerate, the White House is weighing steps to safeguard commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and leaning on emergency stockpiles to cushion the blow.

Before boarding Air Force One for Mar-a-Lago late Friday, Trump told reporters the U.S. Navy may start escorting tankers through the Strait «very soon.»

Asked about the risk of disruptions, Trump said Monday evening he would keep the route open and threatened retaliation if Iran tried to interfere.

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«I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe’s oil supply. And if Iran does anything to do that, they’ll get hit at a much, much harder level,» Trump said during a news conference in Florida.

«In the long run, oil supplies will be dramatically more secure without the threat of Iranian ships, drones, missiles,» he added.

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anunció que el país comenzará a escoltar barcos a través del Estrecho de Ormuz para protegerlos de posibles ataques del régimen iraní. La medida se enmarca en los intentos de la administración estadounidense por reducir los altos precios del petróleo provocados por la guerra en Medio Oriente.

Al ser consultado por periodistas sobre el inicio de los operativos de escolta, Trump afirmó: “Sucederá pronto”.

Respecto a si los objetivos de Estados Unidos e Israel en el conflicto con Irán podrían diferir en cuanto a la finalización de los combates, el mandatario señaló: “Bueno, supongo que pueden ser un poco diferentes, son un país diferente al nuestro”.

Las fuerzas armadas de Estados Unidos realizaron el viernes uno de los bombardeos más intensos en la historia de Medio Oriente contra objetivos militares en la isla de Kharg, en Irán, según confirmó el inquilino de la Casa Blanca.

A través de la red Truth Social, Trump confirmó que la operación, ejecutada por el Comando Central de Estados Unidos (CENTCOM) bajo su orden, “aniquiló por completo todos los objetivos militares en la joya de la corona de Irán, la isla de Kharg”.

En ese sentido, advirtió que, aunque decidió no atacar la infraestructura petrolera de la isla, reconsiderará esa posición si el régimen irnaí o cualquier otro actor, en referencia a los grupos terroristas de la región, impide el tránsito libre y seguro de barcos por el Estrecho de Ormuz.

La isla de Kharg, ubicada a unos 30 kilómetros de la costa iraní, gestiona cerca del 90% de las exportaciones de crudo de Irán, según datos de JP Morgan. Este enclave constituye el principal punto de carga de petróleo para buques y alberga grandes tanques de almacenamiento destinados al mercado internacional.

Analistas citados por la BBC señalaron que, hasta el momento, Estados Unidos e Israel habían evitado atacar esta isla debido al riesgo de consecuencias energéticas irreversibles para la región.

Trump afirmó que los ataques estadounidenses dejaron a las fuerzas iraníes “sin capacidad alguna” para defenderse y sostuvo: “No hay nada que puedan hacer al respecto”. Además, reiteró que Irán “nunca tendrá un arma nuclear ni la capacidad de amenazar a Estados Unidos, Oriente Próximo ni al mundo”. El mandatario pidió a las fuerzas armadas iraníes y a sus aliados deponer las armas para “salvar lo que queda de su país”.

La isla de Kharg representa un enclave estratégico para la economía iraní desde la expansión petrolera de las décadas de 1960 y 1970, debido a la escasa profundidad de otras áreas costeras en la región, lo que dificulta el acceso de superpetroleros.

Según JP Morgan, cualquier incursión militar en Kharg podría detener de inmediato la mayor parte de las exportaciones de crudo iraní y provocar represalias en el estrecho o ataques contra la infraestructura energética contra los países.

Solo 77 barcos cruzaron el Estrecho de Ormuz en marzo, frente a los 1.229 tránsitos registrados en el mismo período del año anterior, según datos de Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

La mayoría de los buques que atravesaron la zona forma parte de la llamada flota fantasma, compuesta por embarcaciones antiguas, en condiciones deficientes, sin seguro adecuado y con propietarios poco identificables, usualmente vinculadas a Rusia e Irán.

Las fuerzas armadas de Irán advirtieron que cualquier ataque contra la infraestructura petrolera y energética del país desencadenará represalias contra instalaciones energéticas de compañías petroleras asociadas con Washington en la región.

El cuartel general central del Ejército en Al-Anbiya afirmó, en un comunicado difundido por medios iraníes, que la infraestructura petrolera y energética de empresas que colaboran con Estados Unidos “sería destruida de inmediato y convertida en un montón de cenizas” en caso de que las instalaciones energéticas de Irán fueran atacadas.

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Vice President JD Vance hinted California may be targeted next with major fraud investigations and revealed that fraud discovered in the Minneapolis area has «probably been $19 billion at least» since the administration began investigating in the Twin Cities.  

In January, Vance announced an interagency task force within the Department of Justice that specifically targets fraud, and reports suggest the vice president will soon lead a new task force established through a Trump executive order. 

«We know there’s a lot of fraud in California, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of exactly what it looks like and what we’ve done in the Trump administration,» Vance said in response to a question by Fox News Digital. 

He took questions after a speech Friday afternoon at the Power House event center that focused on the economy, public safety and election integrity. 

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«And the president has really empowered us to do this, is to take the first national look at the way the American people have been defrauded over many, many years,» Vance added. 

In January, President Donald Trump was critical of California, announcing the «fraud investigation of California has begun» and saying the state was «more corrupt than Minnesota.»

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom defended the Golden State’s fraud protection in February, saying that California’s Franchise Tax Board has blocked billions in fraud in recent years.

«In the actual world where adults govern, Gavin Newsom has been cleaning house,» a spokesperson for Newsom told Fox News Digital. «Since taking office, he’s blocked over $125 billion in fraud, arrested criminal parasites leaching off of taxpayers and protected taxpayers from the exact kind of scam artists Trump celebrates, excuses and pardons.

«Gavin Newsom runs a state,» the spokesperson added. «Donald Trump runs his mouth. Again and again, we’ve shown that the programs they are attempting to call out are programs the federal government is administering, not the state. We suggest they get their house in order.»

Vance on Friday pointed to fraud that has occurred in Minnesota, telling Fox News Digital and reporters that taxpayer dollars are footing the bill for the illegal misuse of funds.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom defended the state’s safeguards and said California’s tax agency has blocked billions of dollars in fraud in recent years. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

JD VANCE SPEARHEADS ‘WAR ON FRAUD,’ PROMISES TO ROOT OUT TAXPAYER MONEY ‘STOLEN’ BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

«You asked about Minnesota, [and] we think that there’s probably been $19 billion at least to fraud just committed in Minneapolis in the surrounding areas,» Vance explained. «Let me give you an example of this because it’s not just the American people being defrauded. It’s not just your tax dollars that are being stolen out of your wallet and given to fraudsters.

«It’s the fact that the services we need to deliver to needy people are not getting delivered because they’re going to fraudsters.»

Federal investigators in Minnesota launched a probe in 2022 into the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, which prosecutors later identified as a key player in what became one of the largest COVID-19 relief fraud cases uncovered.

Homeland Security Investigations agents conduct a fraud investigation in Minneapolis after the release of a video over the weekend on alleged daycare fraud.  (Department of Homeland Security)

REPORT EXPOSES BILLIONS IN UNCOVERED FRAUD, WASTE AS WATCHDOG COALITION OFFERS SUPPORT TO TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN

As the investigation progressed, authorities said they uncovered roughly $250 million in fraudulent claims, with 78 people ultimately charged in the alleged scheme.

Prosecutors have also suggested the broader fraud linked to related programs could total as much as $9 billion.

Independent journalist Nick Shirley took to the streets of Minneapolis in late December 2025 and discovered one organization that claimed to be a type of daycare, where the word «learning» was misspelled on the front door of the business. 

Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was found to be at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state. (Madelin Fuerste/Fox News)

Vance poked fun at the organization, which has since shut its doors, during his response to Fox News Digital reporter’s question Friday.

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«When you have a Somali fraudster come into the United States illegally and then set up a school to collect tax dollars, and the name of the school is the Quality Learning Center, but when they put the sign up, they take the ‘n’ out. So, it says ‘Quality Learing Center,’» Vance explained.

«I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to send my kids to a school where they can’t spell ‘learn.’ That group was getting millions of dollars from the American taxpayer.»

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston