US President Donald Trump has revealed his “favourite thing to do” in the Iran war, and not surprisingly, it is taking Tehran’s oil.
The US has been accused in the past of waging regime change wars in several countries for their oil reserves, but Trump has been the first President to openly admit it.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, the Republican leader said he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island.
“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” he told FT.
Trump compared the potential move to Venezuela, where the US intends to control the oil industry “indefinitely” following its capture of strongman leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
Donald Trump on taking Iran’s Kharg Island
Donald Trump also said that he could take Iran’s Kharg Island “very easily,” claiming that Tehran does not have any defences there.
When asked about the state of Iranian defence on the island, Trump said, “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”
Kharg Island, located off the west coast of Iran, is a vital oil terminal for the Middle Eastern country and is being eyed by the Pentagon for ground operations, though the United States insisted it would stop short of a full-scale invasion.
Trump’s comments come as the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began on February 28, has thrust the Middle East into crisis and sent the price of oil surging by more than 50 per cent in a month. Brent crude rose above $116 a barrel on Monday morning in Asia, near its highest level since the conflict began.
In recent weeks, Iran has been laying traps and moving military personnel and air defences to Kharg Island in an attempt to prepare for a possible US operation to gain control of the island, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with US intelligence.
Senior US officials in recent days have been debating whether to launch a ground military operation there, since the military has accelerated the deployment of thousands of Marines and Navy personnel to the region. However, US officials and military experts have noted that such a ground operation has significant risks involved, including large numbers of American casualties, per CNN.
