US President Donald Trump intended to send a warning to Tehran when he posted an AI-generated video depicting the destruction of Iran’s Kharg Island energy hub, Vice President JD Vance said on Monday.
“The president likes to switch it up on social media a little bit,” Vance said when questioned about the post. He added that Trump does not announce military operations through social media but was likely “sending a message to the Iranians.”
Trump shared the video on Sunday alongside a brief statement suggesting that Kharg Island could be “blown to smithereens.”
However, a US official said American forces had not targeted the island during overnight strikes. An Iranian official dismissed Trump’s post as “laughable.”
Kharg Island is a critical centre for Iran’s energy sector and handled around 90% of the country’s oil exports before the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28. Any attack on the facility could severely disrupt Tehran’s oil trade and intensify pressure on its economy.
The US military nevertheless carried out its first known strikes against Iranian targets since late July. According to a US official, American forces attacked two missile launchers on Larak Island, located near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s post appeared designed to underline Washington’s ability to target infrastructure central to Iran’s economy, even as US officials denied that an operation against Kharg Island had taken place.
