US strikes Iran oil facility as President Trump says war will end ‘when I feel it in my bones’
The United States expanded its military campaign against Iran after launching strikes on a major oil facility, while President Donald Trump said the war would end only when he personally believed the time was right. The comments came as the Pentagon confirmed new troop deployments to the Middle East and rising casualties in the conflict, which has entered its third week.
U.S. officials said American forces carried out an airstrike on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub in the Persian Gulf that handles most of the country’s petroleum shipments. The attack marked one of the most significant strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure since the war began and signaled a deeper level of U.S. involvement.
Earlier, a defense official said the United States is sending about 2,500 Marines to the region as part of a Marine expeditionary force. The deployment includes troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is based in Okinawa, Japan. The unit is expected to operate with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, according to defense officials.
The increased military presence follows a deadly accident involving a U.S. refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq. U.S. Central Command confirmed that six crew members were killed in the crash, bringing the total number of American deaths in the war to 13. Officials said the crash was not caused by enemy fire, but an investigation is ongoing.
The U.S. struck Iran’s Kharg Island oil facility as President Trump said the war would end only when he feels the time is right. The Pentagon is deploying 2,500 Marines to the Middle East, casualties are rising, and oil prices are increasing as the conflict continues to expand.
Trump says war will end on his terms
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the conflict would continue until he believed Iran had been sufficiently weakened. He told reporters the war would end “when I feel it in my bones,” a remark that drew criticism from some lawmakers who want clearer objectives and a defined timeline.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier strikes may have seriously injured Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who took power after the death of his father during the opening days of the conflict. U.S. officials claim he was wounded during air raids, though Iranian state media has not confirmed the extent of his injuries.
Oil prices rise as war hits energy supply
The attack on Kharg Island raised new concerns about global energy supplies. The Persian Gulf region is critical to world oil markets, and damage to export facilities has pushed prices higher. The national average gasoline price in the United States climbed to about $3.64 per gallon, with some western states approaching $5.
Economic pressure has grown as companies begin adding fuel surcharges and shipping costs increase due to instability in the region. Analysts warn that further strikes on oil infrastructure or shipping routes could cause another spike in prices.
Casualties mount across the region
Human rights groups in Iran say more than 1,200 civilians have been killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, while fighting has also intensified in Lebanon, where Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions have killed hundreds more and forced large numbers of people to flee their homes.
With new troop deployments, attacks on energy facilities, and no sign of negotiations, the conflict continues to widen, raising fears that the war could spread further across the Middle East in the coming weeks.