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(The Hill) — On Sunday, President Donald Trump indicated that his main focus regarding Iran is seizing control of its oil industry. This comes as he considers further actions a month into the conflict he initiated alongside Israel.
“Frankly, my top interest is acquiring Iran’s oil,” Trump remarked to The Financial Times. “However, some people back home question my intentions, calling it unnecessary. I think they’re misguided.”
The president likened his strategy in Iran to the earlier intervention in Venezuela, where he aimed to dominate the oil sector through collaboration with key figures within the country’s existing leadership.
Supporters such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have urged Trump to target Kharg Island, a strategic site responsible for exporting 80 to 90 percent of Iran’s oil, to undermine Tehran’s government and economic foundation.
“Capturing Kharg Island is one of several possibilities on the table,” Trump stated during his conversation with The Financial Times on Sunday.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through daily, causing chaos in the global energy markets.
It is hitting Asian economies particularly hard, given their reliance on oil from the Middle East. But the pain is being felt in the United States, too, with gas prices at their highest level in years.
Taking Kharg Island is seen as one way to pressure Iran into making a deal to end the war on U.S. terms, which include winding down its missile and nuclear programs. But Trump conceded on Sunday that it would not be an in-and-out operation.
“It would also mean we had to be there for a while,” Trump said.
Lawmakers in both parties have raised fears of a “forever war” in Iran and have raised concerns about the growing toll on U.S. forces and weapons stockpiles.
The Pentagon has deployed thousands of Marines and sailors toward Iran in recent days, at the same time that Trump has tried to open negotiations with senior Iranian officials.
“A deal could be made fairly quickly,” he told The Financial Times.
Trump said he spoke with Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who he said authorized 10 Pakistani-flagged oil ships through the Strait of Hormuz as a trust-building measure.
The president told The Financial Times there was agreement to allow another 20 vessels to pass through.
Ghalibaf has previously denied holding talks with Trump, and Iran has publicly insisted it will not end the war on U.S. or Israeli terms, issuing its own set of demands last week.