BREAKING: Trump Goes Nuclear on Iran
BREAKING: Trump threatens to seize Iran's Kharg Island and take total control of its oil and gas markets, announcing the U.S. will strike Iran "very hard" tonight.
**BREAKING: Trump Threatens to Seize Iran's Kharg Island, Take Control of Oil and Gas Markets**
President Trump announced Thursday that the United States will strike Iran "very hard" tonight and threatened to seize Kharg Island and other Iranian oil infrastructure, comparing the planned move to Washington's takeover of Venezuela's energy sector.
"The United States will be hitting Iran very hard tonight," Trump wrote in a statement, adding that Iran's "navy, air force, radar, anti-aircraft, and all other forms of defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are gone."
Trump then escalated dramatically beyond the current military exchange, declaring: "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, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America."
The statement marks a significant escalation in presidential rhetoric, moving from defensive strikes in response to the Apache helicopter downing to an explicit threat of territorial seizure and economic takeover of Iran's energy sector. Kharg Island handles the vast majority of Iran's crude oil exports and is one of the most strategically valuable energy assets in the Middle East.
The threat echoes calls made earlier Thursday by former Trump advisor Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who had urged the administration to seize Kharg Island and Iranian islands in the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure lever against Tehran.
According to the WSJ, the US is planning to strike Iran every night until it accepts Trump's deal.