US President Donald Trump has once again expressed his ambitions to take the oil in Iran and boosted that he can invade the Kharg Island in Iran. It comes as the number of US troops in the Middle East swelled to 50,000, roughly 10,000 more than usual. Meanwhile, Iran has threatened that it will set American soldiers on fire if US attempted a ground o
peration or invasion of the country. After reports claim Pentagon is making a plan for potential raids on Kharg Island, the Islamic Republic’s main oil export hub, and attacks on coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz. In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump said that his preference would be to take the oil, likening his ambitions to the one he executed in Venezuela, where Washington intends to control the oil industry indefinitely following its seizure of the strongman leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
His comments came as the US-Israel war in Iran stretched into its fifth week, deepening the crisis in the Middle East with the price of oil soaring and more than 50% in the month with the blockage in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. On Monday morning, the Brent crude rose to $1.16 a barrel in Asia, near its highest level since the conflict began on February 28. He added that, to be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran, but some stupid people back in the USA say, why are you doing that? But they’re stupid people, Trump said.
Kharg Island is called the crown jewel, which produces nearly 90% of the oil Iranian oil. The arrival of 2,500 Marines and another 2,500 sailors is keeping the number of U.S. soldiers in the Middle East region at around 50,000. Last week, Pentagon also ordered about 2,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the region in order to give Trump additional military options.
Currently, U.S. President had promised that he was not putting troops on ground anywhere in Iran amid the apparent divisions in his MAGA base over foreign military engagements and the need for congressional approval. Reports, there are anticipations that an attack on the 5-mile-long Kharg Island located 15 miles from the Iranian coast in the Strait of Hormuz would be risky, raising the chances of more U.S. casualties and prolonging the cost and the duration of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an interview a few days ago had said that they are waiting for the U.S. forces if they continue with their plans for ground invasion.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump said to the FT, adding that it would also mean we have to be there in Kharg Island for a while. When asked about the Iranian defense on the territory, he said that “I don’t think they have any defense, we could take it very easily.”
Read more: Israel-Iran War Escalates as Yemen Joins Conflict, U.S. Weighs Ground Offensive
But reports claim that Tehran has been preparing and laying traps on the island, such as anti-personnel and anti-armor mines, including on the shoreline where U.S. troops could easily stage an amphibious landing if Trump gives the order. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Islamic Republic’s parliament who is believed to be a key figure in talks, said that “The enemy openly sends a message of negotiations and dialogue and secretly plans a ground attack unaware that our men are waiting for the arrival of the American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.
“Our firing continues, our missiles are in place, our determination and faith have increased. We are aware of the weaknesses of the enemy and we can clearly see the effects of terror in the enemy’s armies.” Iran has been targeting key U.S. military assets across the Gulf region since the start of war.
