Iran strikes back as Trump says oil-critical targets ‘obliterated’ by US forces

A missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad and debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit an oil facility in the United Arab Emirates as the US-Israeli war with Iran entered its third week.

A column of smoke could be seen rising over the embassy compound in the Iraqi capital on Saturday, while a fire at Fujairah port in the UAE broke out after what authorities said was a drone interception.

It came hours after Donald Trump said US forces had “obliterated” military targets on an island vital to Iran’s oil network and warned its oil infrastructure could be next if Tehran continues to interfere with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Kharg Island is the primary terminal that handles Iran’s oil exports, and earlier this week the speaker of the Iranian Parliament had warned Tehran would “abandon all restraint” if the islands came under attack – adding that Mr Trump will be responsible for “the blood of American soldiers”.

Announcing the action in a social media post on Friday, the president said: “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.

“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.”

In a later post, Mr Trump said: “Iran had plans of taking over the entire Middle East, and completely obliterating Israel. JUST LIKE IRAN ITSELF, THOSE PLANS ARE NOW DEAD!”

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported at least 15 explosions with thick smoke rising over Kharg Island.

It said the strikes targeted an air defence facility, a naval base, the airport control tower and an offshore oil company’s helicopter hangar, adding that no oil infrastructure was damaged.

On Saturday, Iran’s joint military command reiterated its threat that it will attack the US-linked oil and energy facilities in the region if oil infrastructure of the Islamic Republic is hit.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned they will target “all oil, economic, and energy infrastructures belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or co-operate with America”.

In addition, it threatened to attack cities in the United Arab Emirates, claiming they were used by US forces to launch strikes on Iran’s Abu Musa and Kharg islands.

Without providing evidence, Khatam al-Anbiya said US forces launched attacks on the Islamic Republic from “ports, docks and hideouts within” cities in the Emirates.

It called on people to evacuate “ports, docks and locations where US forces are sheltered in UAE cities”.

Meanwhile, an American official said 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East.

Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the region.

Earlier in the week, the US Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, operating in the Arabian Sea. Should the Tripoli join this flotilla, it would be the second-largest ship behind the Lincoln in the region.

While the total number of US service members on the ground in the Middle East is not clear, Al-Udeid Air Base alone, one of the largest in the region, typically houses some 8,000 American troops in Qatar.

It comes as Iran continues to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes, even as US 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.

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said early on Saturday it downed a drone in the al-Jawf region, a sparsely populated province near the Jordan border that hosts military and energy infrastructure, and shot down seven drones headed toward the kingdom’s eastern region which is home to major oil installations.

Dubai’s Media Office said debris from an interception struck the facade of a building in the city centre, adding the incident was contained, with no fire or injuries reported.

Qatar’s defence ministry said early on Saturday it had intercepted a missile attack.

The ministry said earlier that authorities were evacuating “a number” of areas as a temporary precaution, without identifying the locations. Emergency alerts were sent to people’s phones.

An Israeli strike hit a health care centre in the village of Burj Qalaouiyah in the Bint Jbeil District, killing 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses who were on duty, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

The ministry said it was the second attack on the health sector within hours, after another Israeli strike on the southern village of Souaneh killed two paramedics and wounded five others when it hit a paramedic centre.