President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to seize Kharg Island — the linchpin of Iran’s oil industry — as he escalated pressure on Tehran amid a fraying ceasefire.
In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote the United States would be hitting Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” adding that “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.”
Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf, typically handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. It has been central to the economic survival of the Islamic Republic for decades.
A 1984 declassified CIA document called its facilities “the most vital in Iran’s oil system, and their continued operation is essential to Iran’s economic well-being.”
But Trump’s saber-rattling was quickly tempered by a note of caution. Speaking to the hosts of “Fox & Friends” shortly after his social media post, the president questioned whether America “has the stomach” for a larger military operation to take the island.
“I’m not sure the country has the appetite for it, as good as it is,” he said. “I think they’d like to see us come home.”
The White House told Military Times that all military options remain available to the president, including scenarios involving a significant number of ground forces occupying Kharg Island.
On Thursday, however, Trump appeared to rule out that possibility.
“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,” he said, punctuating the statement on Iran with “They’re finished.”
Trump’s political coalition has been riven with tensions since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
Foreign policy hawks who insist Iran must be curbed are on one side, and isolationist-leaning, “America-First” voices are on the other. The latter group is vigorously opposed to the use of ground troops, fearing that such a deployment would pave the way for the U.S. getting sucked into a long and costly conflict, similar to those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The proposal to seize the island and establish control over Iran’s oil sector also diverges from the four objectives that bolstered Operation Epic Fury in the first place.
The Trump administration’s stated war aims were to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, inflict serious damage on its Navy and Air Force, prevent nuclear development and curtail its support for proxy groups in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
This all comes as hostilities between American and Iranian forces in the Middle East are on the rise, despite a ceasefire signed in April.
U.S. Central Command said that Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy assets conducted strikes Wednesday evening against Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites.
Trump, during his interview with Fox News, claimed the U.S. “dropped $250 million worth of bombs on them last night.”
Tehran — which asserts it has launched a series of retaliatory strikes against American bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait — cast the nearly two-month ceasefire as “practically meaningless.”
“The illegal and criminal attacks perpetrated by the Untied States in recent hours not only constitute a flagrant violation… but also render the ceasefire practically meaningless,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Responsibility for the extremely serious consequences of the criminal act lies with the leaders of the United States.”
Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.