US President Donald Trump has said that he is considering the possibility of establishing control over the Iranian oil industry, in particular, he does not rule out a scenario with the seizure of the strategic island of Kharg, through which a significant part of Iran's oil exports pass.
He said this in an interview with the Financial Times.
"To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: 'why are you doing that?' But they're stupid people," Trump said.
According to him, the United States has several options, including establishing control over the island of Kharg, which is a key hub for Iranian oil exports.
"Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don't. We have a lot of options. It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while. I don't think they have any defence. We could take it very easily," he added.
At the same time, the American leader noted that indirect talks between Washington and Tehran are ongoing and, in his assessment, are successful. He also set a deadline of April 6 to reach an agreement, otherwise he does not rule out strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure.
Trump also announced significant US military capabilities in the region.
"We've got about 3,000 targets left – we've bombed 13,000 targets – and another couple of thousand targets to go. A deal could be made fairly quickly," he said.
The US president also expressed the opinion that Iran has already undergone serious political changes after the elimination of a number of leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the situation in the country is now determined by "a totally different group of people."
Recall that Cuba is next: without ending the war with Iran, Trump announced his new "peacekeeping" plans.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.