Trump Floats Seizing Iran’s Oil, Signals Broad Military Options Amid Escalation
US President Donald Trump said his “favorite” option would be to take Iran’s oil, criticizing opponents in the United States in remarks to the Financial Times. “To be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran… we could take it very easily,” he said, dismissing critics of such a move.
Trump also pointed to Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export hub, claiming it lacks adequate defenses. “I don’t think they have any defense… maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” he said, noting that such a move would likely require a sustained presence on the ground.
On military operations, Trump said the United States has already struck thousands of targets in Iran. “We’ve bombed 13,000 targets — and another couple of thousand targets to go,” he stated, while suggesting that a deal could still be reached “fairly quickly.” He added, “We always have to blow them up,” referring to Iran.
Iranian officials, however, denied any ongoing talks with Washington, contradicting Trump’s claim that the US is engaging with “a new group of people” in Iran. He described the situation as effectively amounting to “regime change.”
Asked about Iran’s Supreme Leader, Trump said he “may be alive, but he’s obviously very seriously in trouble… seriously wounded,” further intensifying rhetoric amid the ongoing US-Zionist escalation against Iran.
