Trump threatens to take over Kharg Island, warns of Venezuela’s ‘total control’ of Iran’s oil and gas market | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened further military action against Iran and vowed to take “total control” of the country’s key oil and gas infrastructure, signaling a major escalation in the ongoing conflict with the Islamic republic.
The Republican leader also drew parallels with Venezuela, where he claimed the US had taken control of the country’s oil industry after ousting former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year during Operation Absolute Resolve.
“The United States will attack Iran (whose navy, air force, radars, anti-aircraft and all other forms of defense, along with most of its offensive capabilities are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, we will occupy Kharg Island and other points of oil infrastructure and take total control of their oil and gas, which are as great for us as the markets of Venezuela and Venezuela. of America,” Trump said on the Truth Social website.
Trump did not provide details on how the U.S. would take control of Iran’s oil terminals, although any such move would likely require the deployment of U.S. ground forces.
Kharg Island, located off the Iranian Gulf coast northwest of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, is the backbone of Iran’s oil export network and a vital pillar of the country’s economy. The island provides the vast majority of Iran’s oil exports.
He had previously raised the possibility of seizing Kharg Island earlier in the US-Iranian conflict that began on February 28.
Tensions between the US and Iran
Iran said on Thursday that a fragile truce in the three-month-old Middle East conflict had become “virtually meaningless”, according to AFP, after fresh US strikes prompted Tehran to retaliate across the region.
In the second straight day of exchanges, the US focused on surveillance, communications and air defense equipment, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out a “punitive operation” against a US military base in Jordan, while several Gulf countries reported incoming projectiles.
Despite the renewed violence, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said behind-the-scenes efforts to end the conflict were continuing. But Islamabad admitted that the latest escalation made it difficult to maintain optimism.
The attacks occurred while the Qatari delegation was in Tehran for talks. An AFP report, citing a diplomatic source, said the talks continued into the early hours of the morning and were being coordinated with the US.
Trump, who has consistently claimed that talks with Tehran are close to a breakthrough, said on Wednesday that Iran had “played us for fools” and warned that it would now “have to pay the price”.
Hours later, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US forces had launched strikes in Iran early on Thursday, and subsequently confirmed that the operation had ended.
Iranian media reported explosions in several southern regions of the country, with at least three people injured in Tehran province.
Meanwhile, Jordan said its forces had intercepted 20 Iranian missiles and Kuwait said its air defense systems had struck what it described as enemy aerial targets.
Bahrain, which hosts a US naval base, said an 11-year-old girl suffered minor injuries and that several houses and vehicles were hit in what authorities called “sinful Iranian aggression”.
