US strikes military targets on Iran's Kharg Island

[0:00] We're just learning of new reports of explosions on Karg Island. This handles almost all of Iran's oil exports, about 90%. If you look at that map, it's actually, yeah, you can see it all the way up there at the top of the Persian Gulf there just off the coast of Iran. President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb or seize the island and there have been strikes before. Oil prices have been spiking over the last few minutes since the reports have been coming [0:30] in of these strikes, up about 2-3% in the numbers that I've seen. Again, now over 3% there in some cases. Brent Crude up more than 1%. Let's get right to CNN's Jim Sciutto, who's in Tel Aviv monitoring the situation. Jim, what are you learning about this? [0:45] Yeah, John, I just spoke to a U.S. official who confirms to CNN that the U.S. struck targets on Karg Island overnight. To be clear, this U.S. official says these targets were [1:01] military targets on Karg Island, not oil facilities. To your point in the introduction, John, the U.S. has previously struck military targets on Karg Island going back to the middle of March, and that appears to be what they've done again this time. And that's an important distinction, of course, because, yes, the president has held out the possibility of striking oil facilities there, which would have an impact far beyond Karg Island, given that this is where [1:31] more than 90% of Iran's oil exports come out of. But again, the U.S. official confirming strikes, but making clear that those strikes are solely on military targets on Karg Island. Again, the reason we're distinguishing those two, because the president has said by tonight, and we have a countdown clock actually over in the corner right there, by 8 o'clock Eastern time tonight, which is now 11 hours, 56 minutes and 54 seconds, the president has said, if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, if there is no deal reached, [2:02] he will hit all bridges and all power plants, all, he says, in the nation of Iran. Again, so we're monitoring the situation very closely. New word of these strikes on Karg Island. Jim Sciutto in Tel Aviv, thank you for bringing us up to speed there. Kate? [2:16] All right, joining us now to talk about this, CNN Global Affairs analyst Kim Dozier, retired Army Brigadier General Steve Anderson. General, let me just ask you about this breaking news. As Jim Sciutto is reporting, a U.S. official confirms that there were U.S. strikes on targets on Karg Island overnight. [2:32] Military targets, Jim is told, not oil facilities, not some of those key energy facilities that have been now clearly threatened by President Trump. Take that, even though the United States has hit targets on Karg Island before, when you look at it in the context and against the backdrop of this looming deadline, what do you make of it? [2:55] Well, thank you, Kate. What it tells me is that they're considering perhaps a ground invasion. [3:05] Of Karg Island. The fact that they are not going after oil infrastructures, but they're going after military targets on the island sounds to me like they're trying to soften the defenses in anticipation, perhaps, of some kind of deployment of U.S. ground forces into Karg Island, which I'd like to go on the record for saying I think would be a serious mistake. [3:27] But we do have the immediate ready brigade from the 82nd Airborne that is prepositioned somewhere in the theater, probably AUD. [3:35] Might be in Kuwait. They're probably just a couple hours away. [3:39] The 31st Mew that we've heard about quite a bit, I believe they are still in the mouth of the Persian Gulf, so they're probably a good 10 to 12 hours away. [3:51] And, of course, in order to get to Karg Island, they're going to have to go through the Strait of Hormuz, because that would be really problematic. [3:56] So I think the only real alternative here would be the 82nd Airborne Immediate Ready Brigade. [4:01] And, again, I believe that they're probably softening defenses. [4:05] At least threatening to conduct ground operations at Karg Island. [4:09] The president has put out a new message on social media. [4:13] Can we put it up? Let's read it, because it's about the deadline tonight. [4:17] He wrote, [4:18] A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. [4:23] I don't want that to happen, but it probably will. [4:28] However, now that we have complete and total regime change where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, [4:34] maybe something revolutionarily, yeah, wonderful can happen. [4:40] Who knows? We will find out tonight. [4:42] One of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world. [4:46] 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death will finally end. [4:50] God bless the great people of Iran, the president ends with. [4:54] General, just your reaction to what he just wrote. [5:02] Well, we already knew that Donald Trump was a pretty bad president. [5:05] But now we know that he's an absolutely terrible commander. [5:08] Chief as well. [5:09] I mean, he continues to vacillate. [5:11] It offers contradictory messaging about what's going on. [5:16] And, you know, does he support the Iranian people? [5:18] Does he not? [5:19] Does he want regime change? [5:20] Does he not? [5:21] Do the allies with us? [5:22] Does he need them? [5:22] Does he not? [5:23] I mean, he goes on and on and on. [5:25] We're seeing more of that. [5:26] Everything he's writing. [5:27] But, I mean, again, this guy is just not competent in terms of leading this force. [5:33] He said he has not set clear objectives, clear, definable objectives. [5:38] That the military can truly execute. [5:41] And I think that at 8 p.m. tonight, I believe that he'll figure out a way to either extend the deadline. [5:47] Because there's no way that he can do what he says he's going to do. [5:50] Which is to bomb every single civilian target in the theater and in Iran. [5:56] And if he were to do that, it would be, as Kim suggests, it would be the commitment of a great war crime. [6:02] And I mean, I'm old enough to remember the Nuremberg trials and how we've held the Germans accountable. [6:09] After what the atrocities they committed during World War II. [6:13] And I'd hate to think, you know, 5, 10 years from now, we'd be doing the same kind of thing with American soldiers and leaders. [6:20] That made decisions that were being directed by the President of the United States that are illegal. [6:25] Let's go right to CNN's Becky Anderson, who is in Abu Dhabi, watching the situation there. [6:30] These two new data points, Becky. [6:33] The new strikes on Karg Island, which we haven't seen for a few days. [6:37] And this really new. [6:39] Incendiary threat from President Trump. [6:42] How is it or how do you think it will be received in the region? [6:47] And it's interesting. [6:48] Just about an hour ago, the Qatar spokesman for the prime minister, who is also the foreign minister, held a press conference. [6:57] This was round about the time that these reports started coming out. [7:02] Let me just read you very specifically what he said. [7:05] He said, we are close to the point where the situation in the region. [7:11] Could spiral out of control. [7:15] That really feels like from the Qatar perspective that they are suggesting an inflection point at at this point this Tuesday. [7:26] Let's remember, 8 p.m. [7:27] Eastern Time, which would be the end of the deadline. [7:31] Were that deadline not to be pushed on Tuesday would be 3.30 in the morning. [7:38] And Tehran time for in the morning. [7:40] 4 in the morning. [7:41] For example, here in Abu Dhabi. [7:43] So for the last, I'd say, 24 hours, this has been a region that has been on tenterhooks about what might happen next. [7:52] You know that this entire region is absolutely determined. [7:56] It insists that this conflict cannot end until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened effectively and that the regional security here is sort of [8:10] But at this point, it doesn't feel like we are at the point at which we are looking at a deal or indeed the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. [8:21] We just heard from JD Vance in Hungary. [8:24] He suggested that these talks behind the scenes between the Pakistanis, Egypt, Turkey and the U.S. and Iran may provide us a bit of a window here. [8:37] And we might see that deadline then pushed by. [8:40] Donald Trump. [8:41] But meantime, of course, the question you asked me is we have just seen two really important data points here, not least that of Karg Island. [8:50] Let's remind ourselves. [8:52] Karg Island is an absolute sort of trophy for Iran and the Iranian community. [8:58] It is from Karg Island that Iran exports 90 percent of its oil. [9:05] It has been exporting more and making a lot more money out of. [9:10] That oil since this conflict began as it has access to that Strait of Hormuz. [9:17] There has been a threat for some time against this island, as you rightly point out, at the moment, we understand it is not the oil facilities, but just the radars and military sort of infrastructure around that oil facility there that has been struck. [9:34] But were that to be the next target, I think, you know, we'd be into a whole. [9:40] A wholly different era, as it were, in this conflict. [9:46] So we will have to wait and see what happens at this point. [9:49] But I can tell you from this perspective here in the UAE and in the Gulf region, this will be very closely watched as we move through these next hours. [10:00] You're going to have a long, what, 11 hours and 30 minutes, Becky, as this deadline approaches. [10:06] Thank you so much for that update.