WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s planned press conference on Tuesday was abruptly canceled without explanation hours in advance, as the US began striking Kharg Island, where roughly 90% of Iran’s oil is handled.
Pentagon officials informed reporters about the abrupt cancellation late Monday evening. Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have regularly been briefing reporters on the war in Iran since the conflict began on Feb. 28.
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The abrupt cancellation was announced late Monday evening. AP The US carried out dozens of strikes on Iran’s oil enclave on Tuesday, though the attacks appear to have been aimed at military targets specifically, according to multiple reports.
Iran has deemed attacks against Kharg Island as a red line. Trump has given the regime a deadline of 8 pm ET Tuesday to cut a deal with him on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, where over one fifth of the world’s seaborne oil flows through annually, or else face severe military consequences.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote in a jaw-dropping Truth Social post. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
