Watch: Trump Posts A.I. Video of Iran’s Kharg Island ‘Blown to Smithereens’

President Donald Trump posted a ten-second AI-generated video on Sunday depicting Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal being “blown to smithereens,” according to his social media platform, Truth Social. The video appeared shortly after the first U.S. airstrikes against Iran in over a month. However, none of the confirmed strikes targeted Kharg Island, which serves as Iran’s primary oil export hub, handling approximately 90 percent of the country’s oil shipments. Kharg Island lies just 15 miles off the Iranian mainland and is vital to Iran’s struggling economy. Hamid Bovard, CEO of the state-run National Iranian Oil Company, dismissed Trump’s post as “laughable,” stating that conditions on the island remained calm and operations continued as usual. He noted that workers were actively repairing damage from earlier strikes and that modernization efforts were ongoing. According to Bovard, the island’s oil facilities remain fully functional despite recent tensions. The U.S. military launched airstrikes targeting Iranian forces on Sunday as they prepared to deploy additional mines into the Strait of Hormuz. These strikes followed revelations from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) that most of the mines previously laid by Iran had been cleared by American personnel. The targets included two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island, located off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran. Larak Island is hundreds of miles away from Kharg Island, making it a separate location entirely. CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins stated that U.S. forces struck the two missile launchers on Larak Island, noting that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were observed preparing to launch rockets equipped with sea mines into the strategic waterway. Hawkins emphasized that the strikes were part of a broader effort to secure the free flow of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global trade. He reiterated that U.S. forces had completed mine-clearing operations in the region last week and continue to monitor the area closely. The strikes on Larak Island marked the first direct U.S. military engagement with Iran since July 29, when U.S. forces conducted strikes against IRGC-controlled sites. President Trump had previously ordered a pause in further strikes, reportedly at the urging of Middle Eastern allies such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who sought to facilitate diplomatic talks with Iran. Despite this pause, the latest strikes resumed, signaling a shift in U.S. strategy toward increased military pressure. In response, the IRGC launched drone and ballistic missile attacks against U.S. positions in Jordan and the UAE. Most or all of these projectiles were intercepted, with no damage reported to U.S. assets. Iran described its actions as a “necessary and lawful” retaliation, a claim that CENTCOM swiftly rejected. The U.S. military maintained that its actions were limited and precise, aimed at neutralizing an immediate threat posed by Iranian minelaying activities in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported explosions near Larak Island and claimed that several of its fighters were injured or killed in the U.S. strikes. The IRGC condemned the attacks as a “fatal mistake by the Trump regime during the economic war,” while simultaneously asserting that an oil tanker had been damaged by an Iranian mine in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. CENTCOM refuted this claim, stating that no vessels had encountered mines in the region and that the incident was likely a deliberate attempt to spread disinformation. Trump’s AI video, which depicted Kharg Island in ruins, drew sharp criticism from Iranian officials. Bovard reiterated that the island’s operations were unaffected and that the U.S. had no legitimate reason to target it. While Kharg Island remains Iran’s main oil export site, the country has an alternative terminal in Jask on the Gulf of Oman. However, Jask lacks the necessary infrastructure, such as pipelines and loading capacity, to fully replace Kharg Island’s role in Iran’s energy sector.