US President Donald Trump has warned that he could ‘take the oil in Iran’ and boasted that he can invade Kharg Island ‘easily’.
He said this as the number of US troops in the Middle East swelled to 50,000, roughly 10,000 more than usual.
Tehran has promised to set American soldiers on fire should the US President order a ground invasion of the country, after the Pentagon drew up plans for potential raids on Kharg Island – the Islamic Republic’s main oil export hub – and attacks on coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump said his ‘preference would be to take the oil’, comparing the potential operation to Venezuela where Washington intends to control the oil industry ‘indefinitely’ following its seizure of strongman leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
His comments came as the US-Israeli war on Iran stretched into its fifth week, deepening the crisis in the Middle East with the price of oil soaring more than 50 per cent in a month.
On Monday morning, Brent crude rose above $116 a barrel in Asia, near its highest level since the conflict began on February 28.
