“Why Not Take Oil?” 4 Decades Before War, Donald Trump Was Already Eyeing Iran, Middle East conflict, US-Iran-Israel war

Before the ongoing US-Iran war, before the presidency, US President Donald Trump was already talking about taking oil.

Trump has long spoken openly about taking control of oil resources, a stance that has again come into focus as the war in the Middle East drags on. His latest remarks about “taking the oil” from Iran, have now been followed by a throwback video he shared online, showing that this thinking dates back decades.

In the clip, filmed in 1987 and recently posted by Trump on social media platform Truth Social, the then-businessman is seen speaking openly about Iran and its oil, arguing that the United States should seize energy resources.

Follow LIVE Updates

The video shows a young Trump saying, “Why couldn’t we go in and take over some of their oil which is along the sea?”

He tells the interviewer, “Let them have Iran, you take their oil, that’s what I’d do.”

During the interview, the journalist asked Trump whether he was worried about a threat from the Soviet Union. Trump said, “The next time Iran attacks this country, go in and grab one of their big oil installations. And I mean grab it and keep it and get back your losses, because this country has lost plenty because of Iran.”

When asked whether he wanted a war, Trump insisted one would happen regardless, saying, “You can have a war by being weak. You are going to have a war and it’s going to start in the Middle East.”

“Favourite Thing Is To Take Oil”: Trump

A day earlier, Trump suggested that the US could “take the oil in Iran” as the war entered its fifth week. Speaking to the Financial Times, he compared potential US action in Iran to earlier operations in Venezuela, where Washington gained control of the oil industry after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

“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 are stupid people,” Trump told the Financial Times.

He said this could include taking Kharg Island, adding, “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options… It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while.”

Iran’s Oil And Gas Reserves

Iran is one of the world’s biggest oil producers. The country holds the world’s second-largest proven natural gas reserves and the third-largest crude oil reserves, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.

Iran holds around 24% of the Middle East’s and 12% of the world’s proven oil reserves, with about 157 billion barrels of proven crude oil, according to an Al-Jazeera report.

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

Photo Credit: Reuters

It is the ninth-largest oil producer globally and the fourth-largest within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), producing about 3.3 million barrels of crude oil per day.

Fresh Threats To Iran’s Energy Infrastructure

Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, potentially including desalination plants that supply drinking water, if a deal to end the war is not reached “shortly.”

In a social media post, Trump said “great progress is being made” in talks with Iran to end military operations. But he said if a deal is not reached “shortly,” and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened, the US would broaden its offensive by “completely obliterating” power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and possibly even desalination plants.

(With inputs from agencies)




Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks at an election night event in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP)

Democratic triumph is a win for bread-and-butter issues

Americans have decided to rein in Donald Trump. Although the final tally is yet to come in, it is clear that Trump and his Republican Party will lose control of both legislative chambers – the House of Representatives and the Senate. Since his re-election in 2024, Trump has had a free hand, as the opposition

Michael, who spoke to an audience in Napa, Calif., said the U.S. manufactured about 1,000 drones under the prior administration.

U.S. Was Unprepared for Drone Warfare, Pentagon’s Emil Michael Says

The Pentagon’s Emil Michael credits Ukraine for doing ‘some incredibly creative things’ with its drone technology in the war with Russia. Michael, who spoke to an audience in Napa, Calif., said the U.S. manufactured about 1,000 drones under the prior administration. The Pentagon’s technology chief said the U.S. had been unprepared for the modern era

TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as the final steel beam (L) begins to be raised at the construction site of the East Wing ballroom at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 4, 2026. Democrats seized control of the US Congress on November 3, capturing the Senate and House of Representatives. The Democratic landslide will give the opposition power to block legislation, launch broad investigations into Trump's administration and thwart his judicial and senior government appointments. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (AFP)

The GOP’s Defeat Was Truly Massive

Both parties agreed on this tumultuous midterm election’s essential point. President Trump wanted voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.” With his approval at 38%, Democrats happily agreed. TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as the final steel beam (L) begins to be raised at the construction site of the East Wing

China calls the US midterm elections a domestic affair and expects bilateral stability to hold ahead of his next summit with Xi Jinping. (AP)

China keeps faith in Trump as ‘total defeat’ adds new risks

As Chinese netizens pored over the wreckage of the Republican losses in the midterm US elections, the hashtag “Trump Total Defeat” went viral on microblogging platform Weibo, garnering more than 70 million views by Wednesday evening. China calls the US midterm elections a domestic affair and expects bilateral stability to hold ahead of his next

The town of Bussière-Boffy, where police arrested a 34-year-old environmental activist suspected of arson.

France’s Riots Were Fueled by an ‘Ultra Left’ Faction That Lives Off-the-Grid

BUSSIERE-BOFFY, France—A convoy of heavily armed tactical police arrived at dawn last month in this hamlet deep in the French countryside, where cows and horses graze near camper vans belonging to people who lead itinerant, off-the-grid lives. The town of Bussière-Boffy, where police arrested a 34-year-old environmental activist suspected of arson. They broke down the

FILE PHOTO - US President Donald Trump appears through the viewfinder of a camera in San Antonio, Texas, October 7, 2026. (REUTERS FILE)

What markets make of the midterms

IN GEOLOGY, AN earthquake causes a tsunami. In American politics, a blue tsunami is causing an earthquake. In midterm elections on November 3rd the Democratic Party swept all before it. Ruby-red Texas elected a blue senator for the first time in decades and crimson Kansas for the first time in nearly a century. As we

Ukraine's Zelensky Awards Melania Trump Highest State Honour

Ukraine’s Zelensky Awards Melania Trump Highest State Honour

Melania Trump awarded for organising a humanitarian evacuation from a frontline town last week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has awarded US first lady Melania Trump a state honour for her role in helping to organise a humanitarian evacuation from a frontline town last week, according to a decree published on Wednesday. The presidential decree, dated

World News Quick Take - Taipei Times

World News Quick Take – Taipei Times

BANGLADESH Wage board to raise pay The garment industry wage board yesterday said it had agreed to raise the minimum wage for workers in the key export sector, following five days of protests and sporadic clashes. The nation is the world’s second-biggest garment exporter behind China, employing more than 4 million people making clothes for

AFP

“Will Kill Trump” Rings Out In Iran After US President’s Party Loses Midterms

A woman held a bright yellow poster above the crowd in central Tehran on Wednesday. It showed US President Donald Trump as a blood-stained bulldog on a leash, held by a horned, devil-like figure resembling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Beneath the drawing, in English and Persian, were the words “Serving the Devil!” Photo Credit:

Israel's Gadi Eisenkot Vows To "Deepen" US Ties If Elected PM

Israel’s Gadi Eisenkot Vows To “Deepen” US Ties If Elected PM

Gadi Eisenkot said he looked forward to working with Trump to “advance our shared security interests. Israeli opposition bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot on Wednesday vowed to strengthen ties with the United States if selected as prime minister, saying he would work with President Donald Trump to stabilise the Middle East. “Under my leadership, we will

Protester holding signs

Why the Local Democracy Service is more important than ever before

From Menai Bridge closures, AI data centre protests and the pressures on the region’s A&E departments, our reporters Dale Spridgeon and Richard Evans hold the region’s authorities to account Hundreds gather in Caernarfon to protest a bid to build a giant AI data centre on the banks of the Menai Strait From crowded A&Es to

Photo of the city council's offices at City Hall, in Charles Street, Leicester.

This is why local journalism still matters in Leicestershire

As Westminster kickstarts plans to shift more money, responsibility, and power away from London and into new regional mayors, scrutinising the local bodies which we trust to deliver our services has never been more important. This week, writers across the country are reminding readers why journalism matters, and today we have the chance to shout

New York City police officers are on duty outside the Lotte Palace Hotel during a United Nations General Assembly leaders reception, late Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

International Politicians React to Democrats Winning US Midterms

Nov 4 (Reuters) – Governments and politicians around the world reacted to the Democrats winning the US midterm elections, a result that could have major implications for global ⁠trade, ⁠security and energy prices.  Here is a selection of the reactions: SPANISH PRIME MINISTER PEDRO SANCHEZ ON ⁠X “Yesterday, the American people voted against policies that

“Iran was a piece of it,” the president said in a WSJ interview, adding that he didn’t regret launching the war.

Trump acknowledges Iran war is partly to blame for Republican losses

WASHINGTON—President Trump said on Tuesday night that the war in Iran was partially to blame for widespread Republican losses in the midterm elections. But he maintained that he didn’t regret launching the war earlier this year. “Iran was a piece of it,” the president said in a WSJ interview, adding that he didn’t regret launching

‘We are a threat to Putin’: the small Norwegian news outlet with half its staff on Russia’s wanted list | Norway

‘We are a threat to Putin’: the small Norwegian news outlet with half its staff on Russia’s wanted list | Norway

The official newspaper of the Russian government is an unlikely source of recognition for a European news outlet critical of Vladimir Putin and providing sanctuary to exiled Russian journalists. But in May, two days after Russia tested its new intercontinental ballistic missile system nicknamed “Satan II” by Nato, an article in Rossiyskaya Gazeta prompted celebrations

An analysis by The Economist suggests that tenants are increasingly missing payments and turning to costly short-term credit, even as homeowners’ finances remain resilient.

America’s renters are in serious trouble

Jacob ramirez, a 31-year-old operations manager for a café chain, has long struggled to make ends meet. In college he used a credit card to buy textbooks; after graduating, he occasionally did so to pay rent and utility bills. By 2022 he, his wife and their dog were in a one-bedroom flat in Pomona, east

Democratic supporters cheer as midterm voting results are announced at a phone bank and watch party Tuesday.

Five takeaways from democrats’ stunning midterm blowout

WASHINGTON—Voters delivered an astonishing rebuke to President Trump and his party on Tuesday, stripping Republicans of congressional control amid widespread frustrations with the economy and elevating a new class of Democratic lawmakers to power. Democratic supporters cheer as midterm voting results are announced at a phone bank and watch party Tuesday. The backlash was more

Last month Aramco pushed around 7m barrels of oil a day to the market, up from 4.5m in July and roughly equal to the figure in February, before the war (AFP)

Besieged by war, Saudi Aramco continues to gush profits

SAUDI ARAMCO, the world’s biggest oil company, has proved remarkably resilient this year. Since war broke out with Iran it has faced attacks on its facilities and disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, through which most of its barrels were shipped. Yet its cash gushers continue to flow. On November 3rd it reported an adjusted

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x