U.S. forces have targeted oil facilities on Iran's Kharg Island ahead of President Donald Trump's Tuesday evening deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face further escalation of the war.

The Associated Press reported on the strikes, citing a "White House official." Kharg Island is an oil hub in the Persian Gulf and the site of key Iranian energy infrastructure. Speculation has abounded that the U.S. may launch an operation to seize the island outright.

The reported strikes come before Trump's Tuesday evening deadline, after which he has promised to target Iranian energy and civil infrastructure. On Tuesday morning, moreover, he vowed that a "whole civilization will die" that evening if Iran did not come to the negotiating table.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" Trump posted on Truth Social. "I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something (sic) revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?"

"We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World," he added. "47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!"

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.