BREAKING: Trump says US will take control of Iran's Kharg Island, oil and gas markets

International, Middle East

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPA) — United States President Donald Trump has declared that the United States will take control of Iran’s strategic Kharg Island and other key oil infrastructure facilities, marking a dramatic escalation in the ongoing conflict involving Washington, Tehran, and Israel.

Trump made the announcement in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, where he also vowed that the United States would launch fresh military strikes against Iran.

Kharg Island is regarded as the backbone of Iran’s oil export industry, handling a significant portion of the country’s crude oil exports and serving as one of the most critical energy hubs in the Persian Gulf.

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In the statement, Trump claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been largely neutralised and announced plans for the United States to assume control of the country’s oil and gas sector.

“The United States will be hitting Iran (whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti-Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are gone) very hard tonight,” Trump wrote.

“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,” he added.

The latest remarks represent one of the strongest statements yet from the U.S. President since hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.

Trump’s comments came a day after he announced fresh military action against targets inside Iran, as the conflict continues to expand across the region.

The prospect of the United States taking control of Iranian oil infrastructure has heightened concerns about further instability in the Middle East and potential disruptions to global energy supplies. Financial markets reacted to the development, with oil prices rising amid fears of a prolonged conflict involving one of the world’s major oil-producing nations.

As of the time of filing this report, Iranian authorities had not officially responded to Trump’s latest declaration.

The latest development adds a new dimension to the escalating confrontation involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, raising concerns among world leaders about the risk of a broader regional conflict with far-reaching geopolitical and economic consequences.