President Trump posted an AI-generated video Sunday evening of what he said was Iran’s oil export hub of Kharg Island being “blown to smithereens” hours after the first American airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic since July.
Trump, 80, did not clarify that the 10-second clip on his Truth Social account was AI-generated and there was no evidence Monday morning that the island in the Persian Gulf had been hit.
“Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate,” Hamid Bovard, chief executive of government-run National Iranian Oil Co., told semi-official Iranian outlet Nournews, adding that operations had not stopped and workers were busy repairing previous damage.
Earlier Sunday, US Central Command said its forces had struck rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak island, about 400 miles east of Kharg. Tehran responded by launching missiles at US sites in Jordan, of which Amman said eight were intercepted after entering the country’s airspace.
Separately, the United Arab Emirates Defense Ministry said its military had “dealt with” an Iranian drone that was detected over its waters. There were no reports of damage.
The ministry later issued a second statement denying a claim by the Iranian army that the Al Minhad Air Base in Dubai had been targeted.
Sunday’s hostilities caused the price of Brent crude oil to briefly surge above $90 per barrel ahead of Monday’s opening bell.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to host two days of meetings of the Group of 20 finance ministers in Asheville, NC, beginning Monday as Washington pressures other countries to help the US economically isolate Iran.
In an interview with Reuters Sunday, Bessent predicted that the US would announce punishments each week for institutions that do business with Iran.
“We’re starting with the banks, and we’re telling the banks it’s not okay to have Iranian money and to aid the regime,” the cabinet official said. “You’re going to see a lot more of these every week.”
On Friday, the Treasury imposed penalties on the UAE branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr over alleged financial links to Iran, and Bessent suggested the next step may be cutting off an institution entirely from the dollar-based financial system
Two weeks ago, the UAE suspended all trade with Iran after saying it had come under renewed fire from the Islamic Republic, with two missiles fired at shipping traffic splashing down harmlessly in the Persian Gulf. Bessent later suggested the Emiratis’ move was the result of pressure from the Trump administration.
With Post wires
