U.S. President Donald Trump said he would prefer to “take the oil in Iran” and suggested Washington could seize the country’s key export hub at Kharg Island, as thousands of additional American troops deploy to the Middle East amid the widening U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Reports in recent weeks have also pointed to Kharg Island as a strategic U.S. military option in the conflict.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said, “To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.”
Such a move would likely involve seizing Kharg Island, through which most of Iran’s oil exports flow, a step that could sharply escalate the conflict and further roil global energy markets. Brent crude climbed above $116 a barrel in Asian trading on Monday, extending a surge of more than 50% over the past month as the Middle East crisis deepened.
Trump said the Pentagon had multiple military options under consideration, adding: “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options.” He added, “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while.”
Asked about Iran’s defenses on the island, Trump said: “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”
The Pentagon has already ordered the deployment of 10,000 troops trained for land seizure and holding operations, according to the report. Roughly 3,500 personnel, including around 2,200 Marines, arrived in the region on Friday, with another 2,200 Marines en route. Thousands more from the 82nd Airborne Division have also been ordered to deploy as Washington prepares for possible expanded operations.
Military analysts have warned that any assault on Kharg Island would be highly risky, increasing the likelihood of U.S. casualties and potentially prolonging the conflict, while threatening one of the world’s most vital oil arteries.
The war has already widened beyond Iran and Israel. On Friday, an attack on a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia wounded 12 American troops and damaged a $270 million E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft. Houthi rebels in Yemen also launched a ballistic missile toward Israel, raising fears of a new escalation front and intensifying concerns over the global energy crisis.
Despite the military threats, Trump said indirect negotiations with Tehran through Pakistani intermediaries were advancing. He said he had given Iran until April 6 to accept a deal to end the war or face U.S. strikes on its energy infrastructure.
On prospects for a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump declined to provide specifics, saying: “We’ve got about 3,000 targets left, we’ve bombed 13,000 targets — and another couple of thousand targets to go.” He added, “A deal could be made fairly quickly.”
Trump also claimed Iran had allowed additional Pakistan-flagged oil tankers safe passage through the Strait as a goodwill gesture during negotiations.
“They gave us 10,” he said. “Now they’re giving 20 and the 20 have already started and they’re going right up the middle of the Strait.”
He added that Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had personally approved the arrangement, saying: “He’s the one who authorised the ships to me.”
Trump also argued that Iran had effectively undergone “regime change” following the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials in the opening phase of the war.
Referring to the new Iranian leadership, Trump said: “The people we’re dealing with are a totally different group of people… [They] are very professional.”
He also repeated his claim that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late supreme leader and Tehran’s new top authority, may be dead or critically injured.
“The son is either dead or in extremely bad shape,” Trump said. “We’ve not heard from him at all. He’s gone.”
– Ends
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