Trump says US wants to 'take the oil' in Iran, could seize Kharg Island 'easily'

United States President Donald Trump has said the US could seize Iranian oil assets, including the key export hub of Kharg Island, as tensions escalate in the ongoing conflict involving Iran and Israel.

Trump said his preferred outcome would be to control Iran’s oil resources, drawing comparisons with US actions in Venezuela earlier this year.

“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,” Trump said in an interview with Financial Times (FT).
Focus on Iran’s Kharg Island

The US president suggested that Washington could take control of Kharg Island, through which the majority of Iran’s crude oil exports are shipped. Trump said such a move remained one of several options being considered.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options… It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while,” Trump said, as per FT.

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When asked about Iranian defences on the island, he added: “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”

The Pentagon has reportedly already begun strengthening US military presence in the region. Around 3,500 American troops arrived in the Middle East on Friday, March 27, including approximately 2,200 Marines, while another 2,200 Marines are on their way, as per FT. Additional forces from the 82nd Airborne Division have also been ordered to deploy.

Oil prices surge amid widening conflict

The Iran-US-Israel has pushed global oil prices sharply higher. Brent crude climbed above $116 a barrel in Asian trading on Monday, March 30, marking a rise of more than 50% over the past month, as per FT.

The situation in the region has also widened militarily. An attack on a US air base in Saudi Arabia on March 27 injured 12 American troops and damaged a $270 million E-3 Sentry aircraft.

Meanwhile, Houthi movement rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile towards Israel, raising fears of broader escalation, as per the publication.

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Negotiations and tanker passage

Despite the rhetoric, Trump indicated that indirect negotiations between the US and Iran were continuing through intermediaries from Pakistan. He said Tehran had allowed Pakistan-flagged oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a “present” during negotiations.

“They gave us 10,” Trump 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, as per FT.

Trump further said that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, had authorised the tanker passage.

He also claimed that Iran had effectively undergone “regime change” following the killing of several senior leaders, including the country’s long-time supreme leader Ali Khamenei, though officials in Tehran have denied such claims.

“The people we’re dealing with are a totally different group of people… [They] are very professional,” Trump remarked.

Also Read: Donald Trump says Iran gave most of 15 demands in peace plan; Iran reiterates ‘no ongoing talks’