Trump vows to seize Iran’s Kharg Island

President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to seize Kharg Island — the linchpin of Iran’s oil industry — as he escalated pressure on Tehran amid a fraying ceasefire.

In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote the United States would be hitting Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” adding that “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.”

Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf, typically handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. It has been central to the economic survival of the Islamic Republic for decades. A 1984 declassified CIA document called its facilities “the most vital in Iran’s oil system, and their continued operation is essential to Iran’s economic well-being.”

But Trump’s saber-rattling was quickly tempered by a note of caution. Speaking to the hosts of “Fox & Friends” shortly after his social media post, the president questioned whether America “has the stomach” for a larger military operation to take the island.

“I’m not sure the country has the appetite for it, as good as it is,” Trump said. “I think they’d like to see us come home.”

The White House told Military Times that all military options remain available to the president, including scenarios involving a significant number of ground forces occupying Kharg Island. On Thursday, however, Trump appeared to rule out that possibility.

“I don’t want to have boots on the ground. But if I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place,” the commander in chief said, punctuating his remarks on Iran with “They’re finished.”

Trump’s political coalition has been riven with tensions since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Foreign policy hawks who insist Iran must be curbed are on one side, and isolationist-leaning, “America-First” voices are on the other. The latter group is vigorously opposed to the use of ground troops, fearing that such a deployment would pave the way for the U.S. getting sucked into a long and costly conflict, similar to those in Iraq and Afghanistan .

The proposal to seize the island and establish control over Iran’s oil sector also diverges from the four objectives that bolstered Operation Epic Fury in the first place. The Trump administration’s stated war aims were to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal, inflict serious damage on its Navy and Air Force, prevent nuclear development and curtail its support for proxy groups in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

This all comes as hostilities between American and Iranian forces in the Middle East are on the rise, despite a ceasefire signed in April.

U.S. Central Command said that Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy assets conducted strikes Wednesday evening against Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites.

Trump, during his interview with Fox News, claimed the U.S. “dropped $250 million worth of bombs on them last night.”

Tehran — which asserts it has launched a series of retaliatory strikes against American bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait — cast the nearly two-month ceasefire as “practically meaningless.”

“The illegal and criminal attacks perpetrated by the United States in recent hours not only constitute a flagrant violation... but also render the ceasefire practically meaningless,” Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Responsibility for the extremely serious consequences of the criminal act lies with the leaders of the United States.”

Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.

周四，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普威胁要夺取哈尔克岛——伊朗石油工业的关键所在——在停火协议日渐脆弱之际，他加大了对德黑兰的压力。

总统在 Truth Social 上发帖称，美国今晚将“非常严厉地”打击伊朗，并补充说，“在不久的将来，我们将占领哈尔克岛和其他石油基础设施，并完全控制他们的石油和天然气市场。”

位于波斯湾的哈尔格岛通常承担着伊朗约90%的原油出口。几十年来，它对伊朗伊斯兰共和国的经济生存至关重要。一份1984年解密的中央情报局文件称，该岛的设施“是伊朗石油系统中最为关键的设施，其持续运营对伊朗的经济福祉至关重要”。

但特朗普的武力威胁很快就被一丝谨慎所缓和。在社交媒体发帖后不久，他在接受“福克斯与朋友们”节目主持人采访时质疑，美国是否“有足够的勇气”发动更大规模的军事行动来夺取该岛。

“我不确定美国民众是否真的希望我们回家，尽管它确实不错，”特朗普说。“我想他们更希望看到我们回家。”

白宫告诉《军事时报》，总统仍可选择所有军事选项，包括派遣大量地面部队占领哈尔克岛的方案。然而，周四，特朗普似乎排除了这种可能性。

“我不想派兵过去。但如果我想的话，我们可以派一小队士兵占领整个地方，”总司令说道，并在谈到伊朗时强调说：“他们完蛋了。”

自2月28日美国和以色列对伊朗发动袭击以来，特朗普的政治联盟内部一直存在严重分歧。一方是坚持必须遏制伊朗的外交政策鹰派，另一方则是奉行孤立主义、“美国优先”论调的人士。后者强烈反对派遣地面部队，担心此举会使美国陷入一场旷日持久且代价高昂的冲突，类似于伊拉克和阿富汗战争。

夺取该岛并控制伊朗石油部门的提议，也与最初启动“史诗狂怒行动”的四大目标背道而驰。特朗普政府公开宣称的战争目标是摧毁伊朗的弹道导弹库，严重削弱其海军和空军，阻止其核发展，并遏制其对包括哈马斯和真主党在内的地区代理组织的支持。

尽管4月份签署了停火协议，但美伊两国军队在中东的敌对行动仍在升级。

美国中央司令部表示，周三晚间，海军陆战队、空军和海军的军事力量对伊朗的军事监视能力、通信系统和防空设施进行了打击。

特朗普在接受福克斯新闻采访时声称，美国“昨晚向他们投下了价值 2.5 亿美元的炸弹”。

德黑兰方面声称已对巴林、约旦和科威特的美国基地发动了一系列报复性打击，并将近两个月的停火称为“实际上毫无意义”。

伊朗外交部在一份声明中表示：“美国近日发动的非法和犯罪袭击不仅公然违反停火协议，而且使停火协议形同虚设。美国领导人应对这一犯罪行为造成的极其严重的后果负责。”

Tanya Noury 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的记者，她的报道主要集中在白宫和五角大楼。