Trump threatens to obliterate Kharg Island oil hub if Strait of Hormuz doesn’t open ‘immediately’
President Donald Trump says if a peace deal is “not shortly reached” with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen immediately, the U.S. will completely obliterate “all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island.”
It comes just a day after Trump said he’s weighing whether to seize Kharg Island, telling the Financial Times he wants to “take the oil in Iran.”
Kharg Island handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports and is a critical hub for the country. Trump said controlling the island would mean keeping U.S. troops there “for some time. For a while.”
Trump gives update on war
He also says the U.S. is still negotiating with Iran, both “directly and indirectly.”
“I do see a deal in Iran, yeah,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One Sunday. “Could be soon.”
Reporters also asked if he’s still planning to put troops on the ground in Iran.
”I just have lots of alternatives. We have tremendous numbers of ships over there. We don’t need them all because of, you know, the power,” he said. “Look, I would say we’re — just like we’re ahead of schedule and the [White House] ballroom — in a much bigger way we’re ahead of schedule with Iran. We’re weeks ahead of schedule.”
Trump also said the U.S. has already “bombed 13,000 targets” in Iran, and claimed only a few thousand remain. However, he added, “a deal could be made fairly quickly.”
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Kharg Island is known historically as the “Orphan Pearl of the Persian Gulf,” and once served as a trading post before becoming a major oil terminal in the 1960s.
Iran continues to deny talks
Iran maintains that there are no talks underway. On Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accused the U.S. of using talks in Pakistan as a cover to move more troops into the region.
Ghalibaf also issued a warning, saying Iranian forces are “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground” in order to respond.
He added, “Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.”
Ghalibaf’s comments came not long after The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has drawn up plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign minister said talks between the U.S. and Iran could happen in the coming days.
Oil prices spike again
Oil prices are reacting, with Brent crude spiking to around $116 dollars a barrel at one point Monday morning.
The U.S. benchmark, West Texas Intermediate crude, reached around $102 a barrel.
Meanwhile, U.S. gas prices steadied to a national average of $3.98 a gallon on Sunday, according to AAA. That marks a 34% increase since the war began on Feb. 28. Diesel prices have gone up 44%, averaging $5.41 per gallon on Sunday.
Israel expands operations
Israel says it struck 40 sites across Tehran over the past couple days, targeting facilities it says were used to produce missiles and other weapons.
Israel also announced it’s expanding its ground operation in southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the goal is to stop cross-border attacks and push back Iran-backed Hezbollah forces.
Defense Minister Israel Katz recently announced Israel was establishing a “security zone” in southern Lebanon and had plans to take control of key river crossings.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
