Trump promises to seize Iran’s oil terminals and launch new strikes.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States would launch “very hard” strikes against Iran and that the country’s key oil infrastructure would be seized, marking a potential escalation in the ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic.

Trump warned of “bigger, more powerful” attacks, suggesting that a third night of hostilities could follow. He called on Tehran to transform its current ceasefire into a lasting peace agreement.

“The United States will be hitting Iran… VERY HARD TONIGHT,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“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,” he added.

Kharg Island lies at the center of Iran’s oil export network and is a critical component of the country’s struggling economy. It is located off Iran’s Gulf coast, hundreds of kilometres northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump referenced a potential seizure of the island earlier in the U.S.–Israeli–Iranian conflict that began on February 28.

After the United States removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power in January, it claimed control over Venezuela’s oil industry—a strategy Trump has said he intends to replicate in Iran.

He did not disclose how the U.S. would seize Iran’s oil terminals, but such an operation would almost certainly involve U.S. ground forces.

– ‘Crazy’ –

In a telephone interview with Fox News shortly after his social media post, Trump appeared uncertain about proceeding with the operation.

“Look, my preference has always been take Kharg Island,” Trump told Fox, adding, “I don’t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest.”

He reiterated that he did not want U.S. troops on the ground but said that “if I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place.”

Trump also expressed a preference for avoiding attacks on civilian infrastructure, after earlier threats to strike power plants and bridges.

“I’d rather not do it, because once you do that, the people suffer,” he said.

He voiced growing frustration with Iran’s failure to reach an agreement to end the war, open the Strait of Hormuz, and agree to a nuclear‑weapon ban.

“The whole thing is crazy, and they’re really in submission, they just don’t know it yet,” Trump said.

“We are talking to them.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet B. Bessent also announced on Thursday that the United States would use Iranian funds to compensate Gulf allies for damage caused by the conflict.

“Any damage it inflicts on our allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian Accounts,” Bessent wrote on X.

She added that “any tolls paid to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority will be offset by funds extracted from their accounts.”

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority is Iran’s new agency responsible for collecting fees for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy transport that Tehran has largely closed since the war began.

AFP

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