JUNE 11, 2026
Trump threatens to seize Iran's Kharg Island as US and Iran exchange strikes for second straight day
The United States and Iran traded military strikes for a second consecutive day on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with US Central Command targeting Iranian surveillance, communication, and air defense sites and Iran's Revolutionary Guard firing on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. President Trump posted on Truth Social that the US would hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT" and would "assume total control" of Iran's oil and gas markets, including Kharg Island, which handles approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports. Iran's Foreign Ministry said the US strikes had rendered the April ceasefire "meaningless," while negotiations between the two countries remained ongoing.
US Central Command said its strikes, which ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran, targeted "Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites." Explosions were reported in Tehran, the port city of Bandar Abbas, and areas along the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said sites hit included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks, and a Guard base outside Tehran. Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles, and Bahrain's Interior Ministry reported that an 11-year-old girl was injured by debris from intercepted projectiles.
Trump, in a Fox News phone interview Thursday, said it was his "preference" to take Kharg Island but added, "I don't know that America has the stomach for it." He also said the US could "put a small group of soldiers and take over the place" but reiterated he does not want ground troops in Iran. According to CNN, Pentagon and White House officials have drawn up plans for a Kharg operation for months but repeatedly shelved them, describing it as an "endgame" option due to the risk of significant US casualties. CNN also reported that Iran has reinforced the island with additional air defenses and laid anti-personnel and anti-armor mines in anticipation of a possible US operation.
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed "until further notice" following the latest US strikes, a reversal from Tehran's prior position that the waterway remained open to ships coordinating with Iranian authorities. US Central Command disputed the closure claim. Visible traffic through the strait had already fallen to roughly 15% of pre-war levels, according to JPMorgan data cited by CNN. The European Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.25% on Thursday, citing war-driven energy price inflation; euro-area inflation stood at 3.2% in May. NPR reported that US consumer prices rose 4.2% year-over-year in May, the largest annual increase since April 2023, with average wages rising only 3.4% over the same period.