Iran: Trump Threatens Kharg Island As US Strikes Continues
Trump Wants To ‘Take Kharg Island’ As US Continues Strikes Against Iran
Remember three months ago when President Donald Trump said the conflict in Iran was only going to take two to four weeks? It’s become incredibly apparent that Trump’s optimism was misplaced.
While Iran and the U.S. have ostensibly been under a ceasefire since April, the two countries have yet to reach a deal to permanently end the conflict. The negotiations don’t seem to be going anywhere, as Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to threaten more strikes against Iran, as well as declaring the U.S. will assume control of the country’s oil.
According to AP, Trump wrote that the U.S. military will be hitting Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” in his famously eloquent fashion. “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,” he added.
The threats came after the U.S. launched several airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday night. The strikes targeted Iranian radars, air defenses, and several other military targets. The strategic goal of the strikes was to weaken Iran’s ability to identify and attack commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior U.S. official told The New York Times.
The Times adds that Trump doubled down on his threats in a phone call with Fox and Friends, though he seemed somewhat noncommittal about taking Kharg Island. “My preference has always been to take Kharg Island,” Trump said, adding, “I don’t know that America has the stomach for that. I think they’d like to see us come home.”
This is not the first time Trump has made a bombastic threat against Iran. In April, Trump posted that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Shortly after that post, the U.S. announced it had reached a temporary ceasefire with Iran.
While Trump is famous for announcing his potential moves on Truth Social, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has famously been remiss in providing reporters with any information about potential U.S. military action. Hegseth appears to have changed his tune this week, as The Times notes that on Wednesday, Hegseth told reporters about the airstrikes planned for Wednesday evening before they occurred.
“So those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong. They will be clear,” Hegseth told reporters traveling with him to the U.S. Central Command’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida. “If they happen to happen tomorrow night, they will be strong, and they will be clear.”
The Strait of Hormuz has been the primary holdup in peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Nearly a quarter of the world’s oil supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been under a blockade for the last three months. The closure has caused oil prices to spike globally, as well as the cost of goods. Oil prices, in particular, have been on a roller coaster as Trump continues to say a deal is only a few days away, only for no agreement to be reached.
The longer the conflict in Iran goes, the larger the impact it will have on the global economy. CNBC reports that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said that the war in Iran could trigger a global recession if a permanent ceasefire isn’t reached within the year.
For his part, Trump doesn’t seem particularly concerned about the economic consequences of the war in Iran. Inflation has reached its highest level in four years, greatly outpacing wage growth. When asked by reporters on Wednesday if he was concerned about the growing inflation, Trump said, “No, I love it, the numbers were great. I love the inflation.”
We’ll see if he’s still loving it come the midterm elections in November.
SEE ALSO:
Iran Rejects US Terms To End War, Offers Terms Of Its Own
Peace Negotiations With Iran Stall Out Amid Renewed Strikes
Everything We Know About The Conflict In Iran
US Military Searching For Pilot After Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Iran
Trump Wants To ‘Take Kharg Island’ As US Continues Strikes Against Iran was originally published on newsone.com
