Name: US hits Kharg Island amid reports thousands of US marines are being sent to the Gulf | BBC News
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Hello, I'm Marianne Mosheri, live from the Qatari capital, doha.

It's day 15 of the US Israel war with Iran.

Over the next 10 or so minutes, we'll bring you our special program looking at the key developments from today as the war enters its third week.

Well, the US has struck Iran's economic lifeline, targeting Iranian military assets on Hawk Island.

The Rocky outcrop holds 10% of the world's proven oil reserves and 15% of global gas reserves.

But Iran says the island's oil infrastructure was not targeted and exports are underway.

The port of Fujairah, home to one of the largest oil storage facilities in the region, is hit by debris from a drone interception as Iran continues to target regional energy infrastructure it believes is linked to American interests in Iraq.

The US Embassy in Baghdad is struck in a suspected missile attack.

Black smoke billows into the sky as the US Warns its citizens to leave Iraq immediately.

And an overnight Israeli strike has killed 12 medical staff at a health care center in southern Lebanon, authorities say.

The country says 26 paramedics have now been killed in the last 12 days as Israel continues attacks on what it claims are Hezbollah command centers.

But first, we start with the latest from the United States, where President Trump has said he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK Will send warships to the gulf to reduce the Iranian threat in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on Truth Social, the president said despite destroying, as he put it, 100% of Iran's military capability, it's still easy for Iran to to send a drone or drop a mine in the waterway.

Well, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed after repeated Iranian attacks on oil tankers in the area.

A reminder, on a normal day, around 20% of the world's oil exports pass through the strait.

Today, India's shipping ministry said two Indian flagged tankers did manage to pass safely through that strait.

Well, let's get the latest now from Washington and our correspondent Simi Jalor show and Simi, what more have we heard from the US administration over the last 24 hours about the war?

Yeah, well, President Trump has spoken about the Strait of Hormuz.

He says that the US Will secure the strait one way or another, keeping it open, safe and free by continuing to strike Iranian boats and ships in the area.

even China to also send naval ships to the region to help secure the strait, but

warned that even though Iran's navy is badly defeated that they could still threaten the waterway through the use of drones, mines and short range missiles.

President Trump also boasted on Truth Social about a US Military strike on Hague island, which you've mentioned there.

Mariam is a key hub for Iran's oil exports.

has, quote, totally obliterated military targets on the island, but

that they chose to spare oil facilities for, quote, reasons of decency.

And that's something that Iran has responded to, saying that if the US Were to target any of its oil facilities or energy infrastructure on the island, that it too will target infrastructure owned or operated by companies that are linked to the US and reports say me of thousands of Marines being sent to the Gulf.

And has the Pentagon confirm these reports?

So this report was first done by the Wall Street Journal and has been picked up by various US Media saying that an American naval task force is on its way from Japan to the Gulf and it comprises of several warships, including up to 5,000 Marines and sailors and even an amphibious assault ship.

Now, the Pentagon hasn't confirmed this since, citing operational security, but this would back up Mr.

Trump's post about this, about increased action in the Gulf.

This could mean potential military escorts for commercial shipping around the region or increased action specifically sorry, on Hag Island.

And analysts have said this could be a potential turning point in this war.

Both sides are determined to escalate, possibly in a bid to force a surrender.

But further action on Hog island, analysts have said could increase already soaring oil prices, but

And that's something that the American public and also lawmakers here, including Republicans, have said they would not support.

They do not want military boots on the ground.

The big question that the administration has been asked is when would this war end?

And President Trump has said that the US Military will continue hitting Iran very hard over the coming week.

And with regards to the war ending, he says that would happen when he feels it in his bones.

president's call for American allies to send warships to protect the Strait of Hormuz comes just hours after the US says it struck 90 military targets on that Hawk island located in the Persian Gulf.

Around 90% of Iran's oil exports pass through the island.

But no oil infrastructure was targeted in those US Attacks.

Mikey K. Is a military analyst for the BBC Security Brief.

He's been taking a closer look at the operation and what it could signal about what's next for US Strategy in the war, the significance or the critical capability of Cog island has been confirmed overnight as being on the US target set with strikes by B2 Spirit stealth bombers using 2000 pound bombs targeting critical Iranian forces, capability on the island infrastructure, and

Additionally, there's open source intelligence to suggest that the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, is now set sail from Okinawa and Japan and heading towards the Gulf of Oman, being identified in the Bashi Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines.

This ship is unique in terms of its ability to carry the F35B, short takeoff and landing, the fifth generation fighter jet.

In fact, it's called the Lightning Carrier because of that, the F35 Lightning.

And the estimates of how many Marines are on that, you're looking at around 2500.

The big question is once the USS Tripoli arrives in the Gulf of Oman, it has to negotiate the treacherous Strait of Hormuz, which likely will be mined by the Iranians.

But it's not just the mines, it's the asymmetric threat.

So it's the drones, it's the fast attack craft.

All of this has the potential to prove a problem for the US and the Gulf states.

It all comes back to that cost benefit ratio at around 1 billion a day for the US to support this conflict.

And when you look at the rate at which the Gulf states are burning through interceptors such as the Patriot missile, estimated at 800 in the first three days, the big question I've got is just how sustainable in terms of stockpiles and cost is this for the United States?

Our security correspondent Frank Gardner is following developments from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

He has this assessment on what a deployment of US Marines to the Gulf could mean.

Most people are saying, well, why is he sending this amphibious ready group all the way from the Sea of Japan if he's not planning to actually invade and occupy Hajj Island, Is it to try and intimidate Iran?

Because Iran, that doesn't seem to be working so far.

Hajj island is the beating heart of Iran's oil industry.

It's through which around 80 to 90% of its oil exports flow.

It's a terminal just offshore on the north of the Gulf.

And that will upset China because China is the biggest customer for Iranian oil.

It will also take potentially some of the oil off the market if the, if, if their oil exports are affected.

There is a degree of bombast and bluster on both sides here with Iran threatening to damage US interests and President Trump saying, well, if you do that, we'll do this, and

But beneath all of that, behind all of that, you strip away the kind of the polemics in all of this.

There's no question that economics are playing a major part in this.

Iran knows, or at least the Islamic Republic regime knows, it's only got to survive this to win.

It's all very well, Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, saying we've destroyed X number of targets.

You know, we've blown this up and blown that up.

But if the Islamic Republic regime is still there and still posing a threat to countries in the region and to shipping, then this entire campaign has not worked.

And I think the miscalculation, possibly by the United States, is by sheer undisputed military superiority, which it does have.

But by dint of that, it could somehow force Iran to comply with American, US And Israeli demands, for that matter, to dismantle their ballistic missile force, stop supporting proxies.

Well, there have been reports of more strikes inside Iran today.

Residents from different parts of the capital, Tehran, have told the BBC's Persian service that the city was hit hard in strikes overnight from Friday into Saturday.

Israel has issued evacuation orders for the part of the northwestern city of Tabriz, while reports from media in Iran say 15 people were killed in a strike on a factory which produces household electronics in the central city of Esfahan.

As US And Israeli strikes on Iran continue, the BBC Persian Service has been receiving messages from people living inside the country keen to share what they are experiencing.

Here are some of the messages received today, voiced by colleagues.

I was trying to sleep and woke up to the sound of explosions.

Something exploded nearby and it shook the house to the core.