President Trump on Thursday vowed to continue “hard” airstrikes against Iran and said he planned to take control of its oil and gas markets.
The plan resembles the playbook Mr. Trump ran in oil-rich Venezuela and significantly ramps up threats against the Islamic republic as the Middle East ceasefire falls apart due to flagging peace talks and renewed violence.
“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,” Mr. Trump said on social media.
Mr. Trump was referring to the U.S. raid that captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro to face American drug charges in New York. The U.S. is working with the interim government in Caracas to sell oil that enriches both nations.
However, Mr. Trump’s threat to impose a similar model in Iran will face stiff resistance from Tehran.
Days ago, Mr. Trump said he hoped for a peace deal with Iran that would lift his blockade of Iranian ports, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and set the table for nuclear talks.
SEE ALSO: Iran, U.S. trade more strikes as Tehran calls ceasefire ‘meaningless’
Those plans seem like a distant memory now.
Fighting between the U.S. and Iran reignited early Thursday, dealing another blow to peace efforts and the existing ceasefire that Tehran now considers effectively “meaningless.”
Mr. Trump signaled that airstrikes would continue for another day.
“The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT,” he wrote on Truth Social.
U.S. Central Command launched the latest round of what it termed “self-defense strikes” just after midnight on Thursday morning, targeting the cities of Bandar Abbas, Minab and Sirik. Strikes were also reported near Qeshm, located near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry gave no indication that it was prepared to return to last week’s status quo, saying the latest round of U.S. strikes had “effectively rendered the cease-fire of April 8, 2026, meaningless.”
SEE ALSO: U.S. military disables third tanker for violating Iran blockade this week
Mr. Trump, speaking to the “Fox & Friends” cable-news program on Thursday, said he could knock out the Iranian regime easily.
“They’re finished,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t want to have boots on the ground. But if I wanted to, we could [send] a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place.”
Kharg Island is a vital oil storage depot for Iran in the Persian Gulf. It has the capacity to hold 30 million barrels of oil.
It is unclear how many barrels are currently stored on the island, though mid-March estimates put the number around 18 million.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said Mr. Trump’s threat to seize the island is “welcome news” and could be the “ultimate game changer.”
“It is apparent to me that the regime is not a reliable partner in these negotiations and that at every turn they create provocation, believing it gives them more leverage,” he said on social media. “The combination of continuing to force the strait open and at the same time controlling Kharg Island’s operations by force or blockade would be the most consequential move President Trump could make, regaining the dominance and leverage America needs to end this conflict on favorable terms.”
Mr. Trump appeared to openly debate the Kharg Island maneuver in his comments to Fox News.
“I don’t know that America has the stomach for it,” Mr. Trump said. “I think they’d like to see us come home. But we did it with Venezuela, Venezuela’s worked out great for everybody.”
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