Iran confirms Kharg Island oil exports ‘normal’ after US strikes; no casualties reported

Tehran: Oil export operations at Iran's Kharg Island terminal proceeded without interruption on Saturday following U.S. airstrikes that officials said resulted in no casualties.

Ehsan Jahaniyan, the deputy governor of Iran’s southern Bushehr province, stated that activities of oil companies "at this export terminal are continuing as normal," according to the IRNA news agency. The confirmation follows a series of precision strikes conducted by U.S. Central Command on Friday night.

While President Donald Trump asserted that U.S. forces had destroyed only military installations on the island, he cautioned that the site's critical oil infrastructure could be targeted next if Tehran continues to obstruct the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran has warned it would retaliate by striking energy infrastructure linked to the United States.

Reports from the Fars news agency, citing local sources, indicated that the island's crude facilities remained undamaged. Jahaniyan emphasised that "daily life and routine activities of the residents are also fully maintained" in the wake of the bombardment.

The deputy governor added that the operation "did not cause any casualties among military personnel, company employees, or residents of Kharg island."

According to local media reports, the American operation focused on military assets, including "the army's defences, the Joshan naval base, the airport control tower and the helicopter hangar of the Iran Continental Shelf Oil Company."

Kharg Island, located approximately 19 miles (30 kilometres) off the Iranian mainland, is a vital economic hub that manages roughly 90% of the country's crude exports.

With inputs from AFP