[Anchor]
With hours remaining before President Trump's final ultimatum to Iran, U.S. forces reportedly struck military facilities on Kharg Island.
President Trump warned an entire Iranian civilization could be wiped out.
Yerin Kim reporting.
[Reporter]
Axios, citing a senior U.S. government official, reported that U.S. forces struck military targets on Kharg Island.
The semi-official Iranian Mehr news agency also said it heard multiple explosions on the island.
The strikes appear aimed at increasing pressure with roughly 12 hours left before President Trump's deadline to \"devastate Iran.\"
On Truth Social, Trump warned, \"Tonight an entire civilization will vanish.\" He added, \"I don't want that to happen, but it probably will.\"
He then suggested regime change in Tehran is possible, saying if \"smarter, less radical people\" take charge, \"something revolutionary and surprising could happen.\"
U.S. forces also struck military facilities on Kharg Island on the 13th of last month.
Kharg Island is a strategic hub that hosts Iran's primary crude oil export terminals.
At the time, Trump said the island's military facilities had been \"completely destroyed,\" but he said oil infrastructure was spared out of \"dignity.\"
He warned he would reconsider holding back attacks if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This latest reported strike likewise appears not to have targeted oil facilities.
Kharg Island has long been cited as a potential objective if U.S. ground forces were to be deployed. Analysts warn that damage to oil terminals there could send shockwaves through global energy markets.
With the ultimatum deadline looming, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it could retaliate beyond the Middle East if U.S. forces cross its red lines.
This is Yerin Kim for Yonhap News TV.
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Yerin Kim (yey@yna.co.kr)
