Trump Threatens New Iran Strikes, Floats Seizing Kharg Island Oil Hub

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to launch another night of heavy airstrikes against Iran and suggested Washington could eventually seize Kharg Island, Iran’s primary crude oil export terminal, in what would mark a major escalation in the widening conflict.

“The United States will be hitting Iran … very hard tonight,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, claiming that much of Iran’s navy, air force, radar, air-defense systems, and offensive capability had already been destroyed.

Trump went further, saying the United States could, “in the not too distant future,” take control of Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points, assuming “total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets. He compared the idea to U.S. policy in Venezuela, which he said was “working out brilliantly” for both countries.

Kharg Island, located roughly 16 miles off Iran’s coast in the Persian Gulf, is Iran’s main oil export hub and is believed to handle the overwhelming majority of the country’s crude exports. Any U.S. attempt to seize the island would represent a dramatic shift from airstrikes and maritime enforcement to a potentially broader military campaign, likely requiring ground forces and risking a wider regional war.

Trump later softened the certainty of his threat during an interview with Fox News, saying he preferred the idea of taking Kharg Island but was unsure Americans would support such an operation.

“My preference has always been — take Kharg Island,” Trump said. “I don’t know that America has the stomach for it. I think they’d like to see us come home.”

The remarks came after multiple nights of U.S. strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, following the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter by an Iranian drone earlier in the week. Both pilots survived and were uninjured, but the incident triggered what U.S. officials described as self-defense strikes against Iranian air defenses, radar systems, and ground-control stations.

Iran has responded by launching missiles and drones toward U.S. military facilities and allied positions in the region, including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Officials in Kuwait and Jordan said their air-defense systems intercepted or responded to incoming threats, while Bahrain reported damage to buildings and vehicles.

Tehran has warned that countries allowing attacks on Iran from their territory would be treated as aggressors. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the U.S. strikes in a call with European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, calling them a violation of international law and warning that they would undermine any remaining ceasefire framework.

Despite the escalating military exchange, diplomatic sources told CNN that efforts to finalize an agreement between Washington and Tehran were still moving forward. Trump also told Fox News that Iran was “dying to make a deal” and claimed the regime was “being decimated.”

“They’re really in submission,” Trump said. “They just don’t know it yet.”

Still, Trump’s public threat to target Iran’s oil lifeline appeared to signal that Washington is intensifying pressure on Tehran after months of stalled nuclear negotiations. The administration has already been enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian oil shipments while continuing to guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz with U.S. air and naval protection.

Asked whether the United States would target civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges, Trump said he would prefer not to.

“Once you do that, the people suffer,” he said.

The possibility of seizing Kharg Island has drawn sharp warnings from Tehran. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, previously vowed that any U.S. attack on Iranian islands would be met with fierce resistance, warning that “the blood of American soldiers” would be Trump’s responsibility.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene senior ministers and security officials for consultations as the crisis deepened. Israel has closely watched the U.S.-Iran confrontation while continuing its own operations against Iranian-backed threats in the region.

The conflict now stands at a dangerous crossroads: Washington is trying to force Tehran back to the negotiating table through military pressure, while Iran is attempting to show that U.S. facilities and Gulf allies remain vulnerable to retaliation. Whether Trump’s threat against Kharg Island is a negotiating tactic or a genuine war plan could determine whether the crisis remains limited — or erupts into a broader regional conflict.

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