WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Thursday that the US “will be taking Kharg Island,” which processes about 90% of Iranian crude oil exports — before clarifying that he’s keeping his options open.
Trump said the US would run the crucial oil depot in a message broadcasting plans for a third night of heavy bombardment as payback for the downing of a US Apache helicopter.
“At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after 8 a.m.
“The United States will be hitting Iran… VERY HARD TONIGHT.”
Trump tempered his threat within the hour during a phone interview with “Fox & Friends” — keeping Iranian officials guessing whether he actually would seize the strategic island in the Persian Gulf.
“I don’t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest with you. You’re gonna make a fortune, but I don’t know that America has the stomach,” Trump told the TV program.
“I think they’d like to see us come home, but we did it with Venezuela. Venezuela has worked out great for everybody.”
Trump has blockaded Iran’s ports since April 13, with US officials saying that a quirk in Iranian oil infrastructure means that pipelines are constantly sending fuel to the Iranian island and cannot be turned off.
Trump said “I’m not sure the country has the appetite” for a land mission — despite saying there could be one as he tries to strong-arm Iranian officials to finalize a memorandum of understanding to end the war.
“They are finished. We can walk in there tomorrow,” Trump taunted on Fox.
“We could take soldiers. I don’t want to have boots on the ground, but if I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place. They’re finished.”
The president also said “I’d like to get a deal now less than three or four weeks ago.”
The non-fatal downing of the US military helicopter by an Iranian drone has cast down on the future of peace talks, though officials say negotiations remain active, with emissaries both sides agreeing in principle Tehran will give up its nuclear program.
Iranian officials have always maintained a hostile public posture despite reaching near-agreement on core principles of a peace, and leading figures attacked Trump over his latest airstrikes, which come despite a shaky two-month cease-fire.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tweeted Tuesday: “Leave our region if you want to be safe. History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders.”
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament and a top peace negotiator, wrote: “We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best. You ride the horse you saddled!”
Trump has flirted with military operations targeting Kharg Island earlier in Operation Epic Fury, but has so far refrained from knocking out Iran’s oil industry infrastructure, viewing it as too important to the country’s future.
The US restarted strikes Tuesday evening after the Apache helicopter was brought down over the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian drone.
Tehran has responded by sending missiles towards US military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
Both warring countries had entered a fragile cease-fire agreement on April 8. But Trump panned that temporary truce Wednesday night as “the most violated cease-fire in the history of the world” and opted to resume attacks after grumbling that Iran was “tapping us along.”
During that cease-fire, Tehran wreaked havoc in the Strait of Hormuz, scaring off tankers from traversing the critical waterway through which an estimated one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies flowed annually.
In response, Trump ordered a US naval blockade of Iranian ships to tighten the economic screws on the theocratic regime.
Late Wednesday, American forces disabled an oil tanker attempting to break through the blockade, the third such incident this week, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The vessel, which was traveling in the Gulf of Oman, repeatedly refused to follow instructions transmitted by the military, per officials.
Thus far, CENTCOM claims to have disabled nine vessels and redirected 135 ships, while permitting 42 ships carrying humanitarian aid to pass through the blockade.
Trump also claimed Wednesday that the US carried out what he called a “wildly successful” military operation to funnel millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz last month.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market,” Trump crowed on Truth Social. “More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait. This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran.”
“Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran!”
Iran is believed to have close to 1,000 pounds of 60% enriched uranium, a short technical step from weapons-grade enrichment.
The Iranians claimed to have enough 60% enriched uranium to manufacture 11 nuclear bombs, special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed shortly after the start of Operation Epic Fury, Feb. 28.
Tehran is also believed to possess thousands of pounds of uranium at lower enrichment levels of 20% purity or less.
