Trump ‘sending message’ to Iran with Kharg bombing video: US vice president

US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that US President Donald Trump is utilizing social media to deliver a warning to Iranian leadership following the release of a video depicting the destruction of strategic infrastructure, Anadolu reports.

“I think that he’s sending a message to the Iranians,” Vance told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

Vance characterized Trump’s message as saying Iran was “behaving like a terrorist country” and warned that if the attacks did not cease, “there are going to be some consequences.”

Vance noted that Trump remains committed to using “a lot of tools at our disposal” to protect maritime transit.

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The remarks follow a post by Trump on his social media platform Truth Social late Sunday, in which he shared an AI-generated video showing Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub, being destroyed. “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!” the US president wrote.

Vance also addressed recent reports concerning the strain on US military stockpiles, asserting that the nation remains in a “position of strength” despite inheriting a “depleted” situation. “We certainly saw under the (former President Joe) Biden administration that the military was underinvested in and under-resourced. We’re fixing that every day,” he said, adding that the military is currently “as strong as we have ever been.”

Vance’s comments follow a Washington Post report suggesting that top commanders warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the prolonged war is “unsustainable” and jeopardizes the nation’s ability to respond to global threats and protect the American homeland. The Pentagon characterized much of that report as “inaccurate.”

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