US President Donald Trump has said he is considering taking control of Iran’s oil resources, including the key export hub at Kharg Island, even as backchannel negotiations with Tehran continue.
Trump has said his “preference would be to take the oil,” drawing comparisons to US plans to maintain long-term control over Venezuela’s oil sector following the ousting of Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
The remarks come amid a deepening US-Israeli conflict with Iran that has driven oil prices sharply higher. Brent crude surged past $116 a barrel in Asian trading on Monday, marking a rise of more than 50 per cent in the past month.
Trump suggested that capturing Kharg Island — through which most of Iran’s oil exports flow — remained a live option. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” he said, adding that US forces could seize it “very easily,” citing what he described as limited Iranian defences.
The Pentagon has significantly expanded its military footprint in the region, deploying roughly 10,000 troops trained for territorial operations. Thousands of Marines and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division have already been dispatched or are en route.
However, military analysts warn that any attempt to seize the island would carry substantial risks, including potential US casualties and a prolonged conflict.
Regional tensions have intensified in recent days. An attack on a Saudi air base wounded 12 American personnel and damaged a US surveillance aircraft, while Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a ballistic missile towards Israel, signalling a possible widening of the conflict.
Despite the escalation, Trump indicated that indirect talks with Iran — reportedly mediated by Pakistani intermediaries — were making progress. He has set an April 6 deadline for Tehran to agree to a deal or face further US strikes targeting its energy infrastructure.
Trump also claimed that Iran had allowed an increasing number of Pakistan-flagged oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a “gesture” during negotiations, though this could not be independently verified.
On Iran’s internal situation, Trump asserted that the country had effectively undergone “regime change” following the reported deaths of senior leadership figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — a claim strongly denied by Tehran.
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