Critical facilities, infrastructure, and docks on Kharg Island in southern Iran were not damaged in the US and Israeli attacks on Tuesday morning, reported the semi-official news agency Mehr. The maritime network, docks, and other operational areas of the island continue to function without interruption, and services are provided normally, added the report cited by Xinhua and learned by the News Agency Argentina (NA). Mehr cited informed sources who confirmed that all necessary security measures had been implemented on the island and that the overall situation is stable. Several explosions were heard on Kharg Island on Tuesday as a result of multiple attacks by the US and Israel, Mehr reported hours earlier. A US official told NBC News and learned by NA that the US military attacked dozens of Iranian military targets on Kharg Island overnight. The mission included US airstrikes on the northern side of the island and did not involve US troops on the ground, an official reported. The attacks did not reach the oil fields but hit military bunkers and depots, air defense systems, and other military facilities. The official emphasized that all targets were military and that many of them had already been attacked by the US. Kharg Island is an important oil export hub for Iran and had previously been considered as a possible site for a US ground operation. Rise in oil prices. The price of US crude oil jumped more than 3%, reaching nearly $116 per barrel following the initial reports of the US attack on Kharg Island, from which Iran exports 90% of its crude oil. A US official confirmed the attacks to NBC News but clarified that they did not affect oil facilities. The price of Brent crude also surged, surpassing $110 per barrel. US stock futures also fell to their morning lows, with the S&P 500 recording a drop of more than 0.5%, amid renewed fears that new strikes and the 8 pm ET deadline set by President Donald Trump could increase widespread uncertainty and supply problems in global energy markets.
