File photo: US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that a negotiated settlement would soon be reached but warned that if it was not -- or if Iran continued to block the Strait of Hormuz -- US forces would 'blow up' Kharg Island. US President Donald Trump threatened Monday to destroy Iran's Kharg Island, a crude oil export hub, along with oil wells and power plants unless Tehran quickly accepted a deal to end the US-Israeli war. The risk of further escalation, including a potential US ground operation to seize Kharg Island, is sending tremors through financial and energy markets, as well as neighbouring Gulf countries. In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump voiced hope about US talks with a "more reasonable regime" in Tehran, an apparent reference to new leadership despite the