US President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Arabian Gulf.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview Monday. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.”
The US president compared the potential move to Venezuela, where the US intends to control the oil industry "indefinitely" following the capture of leader Nicolas Maduro in January.
"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," he told the newspaper.
Iran has threatened to mine the Arabian Gulf if its territory is invaded. The United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on Iran, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks.
Trump also said that Iran had agreed to allow 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning and continuing over the next few days “out of a sign of respect.”
“I would only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” he said.
The war has already threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.
According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon was preparing plans for weeks of ground operations -- potentially including raids on sites near the strait -- though Trump has yet to approve any deployment.
