Kharg Island is exploding into pieces," US President Donald Trump wrote on social media on August 30 (US time), accompanied by a video showing a series of large explosions occurring on an island.
The media has identified that this video was created by artificial intelligence technology, and there is no evidence that Iran's Kharg Island was attacked. Kharg is an island in the Persian Gulf, playing the role of Iran's vital oil export gateway.
Mr. Trump's post is ridiculous," said Hamid Bovard, CEO of Iran National Oil Corporation. According to Bovard, Kharg Island is still "peaceful", workers are busy repairing damage caused by previous attacks and modernizing oil and gas facilities.
Located about 25km off the coast of Iran, Kharg Island processed 90% of Iran's crude oil exports before the Middle East conflict broke out. In March, the US military airstriked this island, targeting about 90 military targets, including mine storage, missile bunkers and many other facilities.
President Trump then said that the US had avoided attacking the oil infrastructure on the island. Another attack on Kharg took place on April 7, before the US and Iran reached a ceasefire.
The video was posted by Mr. Trump after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced an attack on 2 Iranian rocket launchers at Larak Island, about 660km east of Kharg. The two launchers were attacked when the US discovered Iran was "preparing to launch mine-carrying rockets into the Strait of Hormuz". This is the first US attack on Iran since the end of July.
