September 5, 2026
Explosions were heard near Kharg Island early Saturday, although Fars reported no visible smoke and said the source of the blasts was initially unknown.
Iranian outlets reported that a small Iranian oil tanker was targeted by US forces; Asr Iran said four projectiles struck the vessel while it was being unloaded.
The incident comes days after Trump posted an AI-generated video claiming Kharg was being destroyed, prompting Iran to warn against attacking the strategic oil hub.
Explosions Reported near Kharg Island
Explosions were heard near Iran’s Kharg Island in the Gulf early Saturday, amid reports from Iranian media that US forces had targeted an Iranian oil tanker near the strategically important oil terminal.
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that sounds of explosions could be heard coming from the Gulf.
A Fars correspondent on Kharg Island reported seeing no smoke, however, and said the source of the explosions was initially unknown, according to Reuters.
The state-affiliated Nournews subsequently cited local sources reporting that an Iranian tanker had been struck near Kharg by a missile fired by US forces.
Iranian news outlet Asr Iran provided a more detailed account, reporting that the tanker had been struck by four projectiles launched by US forces while the vessel was being unloaded.
Separately, Iran’s Student News Network reported that a “small” Iranian oil tanker had been targeted in a US missile attack near Kharg Island and said there were no casualties.
The reports therefore agree that an Iranian tanker was targeted near Kharg, although initial accounts differ on the number of missiles or projectiles involved.
No casualties had been reported in the initial Iranian accounts.
Kharg at Center of Escalating Confrontation
Kharg Island is one of the most strategically important locations in Iran’s energy infrastructure, serving as the principal terminal for the overwhelming majority of the country’s crude oil exports.
The reported tanker attack is particularly significant because it comes only days after US President Donald Trump explicitly invoked Kharg Island amid renewed military escalation between Washington and Tehran.
On August 31, Trump published an AI-generated video alongside a one-line social media post saying Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens.”
There was no evidence at the time that the island had actually been attacked, and Iranian authorities warned that any US strike against Kharg would trigger a strong response.
Saturday’s explosions and reports of a tanker strike therefore mark a potentially significant escalation around an installation central to Iran’s ability to export oil.
The US has previously targeted commercial shipping connected to Iran during the war. In June, US Central Command said an American aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the M/T Lexie as the tanker sailed toward Kharg Island, disabling the vessel as part of Washington’s maritime blockade.
Iran War Returns to Gulf Energy Routes
The incident comes amid renewed direct military exchanges between Iran and the United States following a period of relative calm.
The US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, triggering Iranian missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli targets and severe disruption to Gulf shipping and global energy markets.
Recent days have seen another sharp escalation. US forces struck Iranian positions near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran responded with attacks against US military positions in the region.
The confrontation has unfolded alongside Washington’s intensified economic campaign against Tehran, including sanctions targeting Iran’s oil revenues and financial networks.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war, remains at the center of the confrontation. Iran maintains that the waterway remains closed to vessels without its authorization, while Washington has sought to restore maritime traffic and enforce its blockade of Iranian ports.
Explosions were
heard near Iran’s strategic Kharg Island Saturday amid Iranian media reports
that US forces struck an oil tanker nearby.
Key Developments
Explosions were heard near Kharg Island early Saturday, although Fars reported no visible smoke and said the source of the blasts was initially unknown.
Iranian outlets reported that a small Iranian oil tanker was targeted by US forces; Asr Iran said four projectiles struck the vessel while it was being unloaded.
The incident comes days after Trump posted an AI-generated video claiming Kharg was being destroyed, prompting Iran to warn against attacking the strategic oil hub.
Explosions Reported near Kharg Island
Explosions were heard near Iran’s Kharg Island in the Gulf early Saturday, amid reports from Iranian media that US forces had targeted an Iranian oil tanker near the strategically important oil terminal.
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that sounds of explosions could be heard coming from the Gulf.
A Fars correspondent on Kharg Island reported seeing no smoke, however, and said the source of the explosions was initially unknown, according to Reuters.
The state-affiliated Nournews subsequently cited local sources reporting that an Iranian tanker had been struck near Kharg by a missile fired by US forces.
Iranian news outlet Asr Iran provided a more detailed account, reporting that the tanker had been struck by four projectiles launched by US forces while the vessel was being unloaded.
Separately, Iran’s Student News Network reported that a “small” Iranian oil tanker had been targeted in a US missile attack near Kharg Island and said there were no casualties.
The reports therefore agree that an Iranian tanker was targeted near Kharg, although initial accounts differ on the number of missiles or projectiles involved.
No casualties had been reported in the initial Iranian accounts.
Kharg at Center of Escalating Confrontation
Kharg Island is one of the most strategically important locations in Iran’s energy infrastructure, serving as the principal terminal for the overwhelming majority of the country’s crude oil exports.
The reported tanker attack is particularly significant because it comes only days after US President Donald Trump explicitly invoked Kharg Island amid renewed military escalation between Washington and Tehran.
On August 31, Trump published an AI-generated video alongside a one-line social media post saying Kharg Island was being “blown to smithereens.”
There was no evidence at the time that the island had actually been attacked, and Iranian authorities warned that any US strike against Kharg would trigger a strong response.
Saturday’s explosions and reports of a tanker strike therefore mark a potentially significant escalation around an installation central to Iran’s ability to export oil.
The US has previously targeted commercial shipping connected to Iran during the war. In June, US Central Command said an American aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the M/T Lexie as the tanker sailed toward Kharg Island, disabling the vessel as part of Washington’s maritime blockade.
Iran War Returns to Gulf Energy Routes
The incident comes amid renewed direct military exchanges between Iran and the United States following a period of relative calm.
The US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28, triggering Iranian missile and drone attacks against US and Israeli targets and severe disruption to Gulf shipping and global energy markets.
Recent days have seen another sharp escalation. US forces struck Iranian positions near the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran responded with attacks against US military positions in the region.
The confrontation has unfolded alongside Washington’s intensified economic campaign against Tehran, including sanctions targeting Iran’s oil revenues and financial networks.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed before the war, remains at the center of the confrontation. Iran maintains that the waterway remains closed to vessels without its authorization, while Washington has sought to restore maritime traffic and enforce its blockade of Iranian ports.
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