U.S., Israel Strike Iran’s Oil Export Hubs Ahead of Trump Deadline

April 07, 2026

• US and Israeli strikes hit Kharg Island — the departure point for roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports — along with bridges, downtown Tehran, and a historic synagogue, as Trump’s 8 p.m. EST deadline expired.
• The IRGC issued a significant escalation warning, saying restraint toward Gulf Arab states hosting US military assets was now over and that “all such considerations have been lifted.”
• Iran submitted a 10-point peace proposal through Pakistani mediators but rejected a temporary cease-fire, while Iranian officials publicly claimed victory and threatened further retaliation.

U.S. and Israeli air strikes hit multiple locations across Iran, including infrastructure and the strategic Kharg Island, as an evening deadline from Washington for Tehran to agree to a deal to end the war approached with neither side signaling the intention to back down.

Iranian media reported explosions across Tehran and the sound of air defense fire on April 7, with some accounts describing fighter jets flying at low altitude over the capital.

Strikes were also reported on Iran’s Kharg Island, where some 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports are shipped from, as well as major bridges on the Tabriz-Zanjan highway and another near the holy city of Qom.

The reports could not be independently verified.

In a stark escalation of rhetoric, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) warned in a statement just moments after the strikes were reported that it would target US and allied infrastructure across the region if the United States crossed “red lines.”

The IRGC also put American partners in the Persian Gulf and beyond on notice, saying that restraint shown toward neighboring states “out of good neighborliness” was now over and that “all such considerations have been lifted” — a signal that Gulf Arab states hosting US military assets could become direct targets.

The statement marks a shift in Iran’s stated position. While Tehran has previously struck targets in several regional countries, it had until now maintained that those states themselves were not the intended enemy — a distinction it appears to be threatening to abandon.

Among the sites hit in downtown Tehran was a historic synagogue, according to Iranian media.

Homayoun Sameyah, the Jewish community’s representative in Iran’s parliament, told state media that the building was “ancient” and “sacred,” and that Torah scrolls remained buried under the rubble.

Meanwhile, Iran struck Tel Aviv, with Israeli television reporting around 10 impact sites across the city causing damage to buildings and vehicles. No injuries were recorded.

The Israeli military accused Iran of using cluster munitions — weapons that disperse into smaller submunitions, or bomblets, in midair and are nearly impossible to intercept with conventional air defenses. The southern port city of Eilat was also targeted with cluster munitions, according to media reports.

US President Donald Trump announced the deadline of 8 p.m. EST on April 7, warning the “the entire country” of Iran “could be taken out in one night.”

Trump explicitly threatened Iran’s power plants and bridges if no deal was reached.

Trump’s warning at the April 6 White House press conference centers on Iran’s control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil shipments.

Iran’s response fell short of what Washington demanded.

Tehran submitted a 10-point peace proposal through Pakistani mediators, but the plan rejected a temporary cease-fire and instead called for a permanent end to hostilities. It also included conditions unlikely to be acceptable to the United States or Israel. The New York Times reported the proposal was unlikely to resolve the core issues before the deadline.

Iran’s defiance was on open display.

Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted on X that Iran had “clearly and openly won the war” and would only accept an outcome that established “a new security order in the region.”

He added: “It is Trump who has around 20 hours to surrender to Iran or his allies will be sent back to the Stone Age. We will not back down!”

The threat to Iranian infrastructure is drawing warnings from inside the country.

Mahdi Masaeli, secretary of Iran’s electricity industry syndicate, said on April 7 that attacks on power plants, transmission lines, or substations could trigger “widespread blackouts.”

While Iran’s grid — with a capacity of around 100,000 megawatts against current consumption of less than half that — has some capacity to reroute power, Masaeli warned that serious damage would be a “turning point” in the conflict.

“The problems would not double,” he said. “They would grow exponentially.”

Previous strikes have already disrupted key industrial sectors.

Attacks on the Mobarakeh Steel complex have affected steel output, while strikes on the Bandar Emam petrochemical facility have hit production of PVC and cable materials, with black market activity emerging as a result, Masaeli said.

Oilprice.com