US Orders 2,500 Marines and an Amphibious Assault Ship to Mideast After Almost 2 Weeks of War
Jon Gambrell, David Rising, Konstantin Toropin and Mike Corder Associated Press
A big-deck amphibious assault ship. (photo: U.S. Naval Institute)
ALSO SEE: Trump May Be Unable to End the War He Started With Iran, Even if He Wanted To
Trump said U.S. forces “obliterated” targets on Iran’s Kharg Island — home to the primary terminal that handles the country’s oil exports — and warned that the island’s oil infrastructure could be next. Just a day before, the speaker of the Iranian parliament said such a strike would provoke a new level of retaliation.
Earlier Friday in the Iranian capital, a large explosion rocked a central square where thousands of people gathered for an annual state-organized rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.
There were no reports of casualties. The decision to proceed with the demonstration attended by some senior government officials, and Israel’s threat to target it, underscored the fierce determination on both sides in a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.
Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes, even as U.S. and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran.
The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and warned there would be no let up.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the war would end “when I feel it in my bones.” He was also more measured about whether Iranians could topple the Islamic government.
“So I really think that’s a big hurdle to climb for people that don’t have weapons,” Trump said, citing Iran’s paramilitary Basij force, which has played a central role in crushing recent nationwide protests.
