Hours before President Donald Trump said the United States was “ending the war with Iran,” he threatened to seize Kharg Island, Tehran’s economic lifeline.
“At some point in the not-too-distant future, we will, like Venezuela, seize Kargu Island and other oil infrastructure sites and take complete control of the oil and gas market,” he said, adding that he also hinted at the possibility of launching a third attack.
The United States has so far carried out several large-scale airstrikes against military facilities on Kharg Island, which typically processes about 90% of Iran’s oil exports, but the attacks have deliberately avoided hitting critical energy infrastructure.
President Trump admitted on Fox News that he doesn’t know if Americans have the “will” for the large-scale operation needed to capture the island. “I don’t know if the United States has the stomach for it, but I think they want to see us come home.”
Risky attack: Plans for the military to seize the island have been in the works for months but have been repeatedly shelved because the operation was considered too risky, a senior Pentagon official and two government officials told CNN. Officials said wiping out the island’s energy infrastructure would effectively bankrupt Iran and reduce its capabilities to the point where continuing the war would be impossible.
Officials have told President Trump that such an operation would likely require significant ground forces and could result in heavy casualties for the U.S. military.
These calculations led the Pentagon and White House to consider any move to capture Kharg Island as a “last-game” option. This could change the balance of the war, but is a last resort and comes at a high price, officials said.
How Iran is building its defenses: Iran has been preparing for months for a US operation to seize The Hague Island. Sources earlier told CNN that Iran had set a trap and moved more military and air defense forces into Kharg.
Following President Trump’s threat on Thursday, Iranian officials vowed a tough response. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf, said: “It will explode our energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that we won’t be able to get out of for years. We will see a different Iran.”
CNN’s Alaina Trine, Natasha Bertrand, Aida Karimi, Sophie Tanno and Billy Stockwell contributed reporting.
