US President Donald Trump during the signing of an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 in Washington, DC, US.
Shaun Thew | Bloomberg | getty images
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to seize Iran’s oil infrastructure, including its main export terminal Kharg Island, “in the not-too-distant future.”
Trump said in a Truth Social post that the US military will attack Iran “very strongly” tonight after completing a round of airstrikes on Wednesday. The president threatened to take “complete control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets, as the US did in Venezuela earlier this year.
Kharg Island is Iran’s main oil export terminal, from where about 90% of the crude oil was exported before the war. The US Navy has already blocked most of Iran’s exports through a blockade against the country’s ports and ships.
The US launched attacks on military targets on Kharag Island early in the war, but held back from deploying ground troops to seize Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure.
Shortly after those threats, Trump told Fox News that he was not sure “America has the courage to take on Kharg”. The President said, America is continuing talks with Iran.
“I think they would like to see us come home, but we did that to Venezuela,” Trump told Fox in a live phone call. “Venezuela has done very well for everyone.”
When asked by Fox, the President said he would not want to bomb Iran’s power plants. Trump had made such threats even before the war.
The Trump administration has basically taken control of Venezuela’s oil exports since the US ousted former President Nicolas Maduro in a military strike in January. Revenues from Venezuelan oil sales are deposited into the accounts of the Treasury Department. Venezuelan oil shipments are sent to the US Gulf Coast where the crude is refined.
Trump has stepped up military pressure on Iran this week as he grows frustrated with Tehran for not quickly agreeing to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear program. The latest round of tensions began this week when Trump blamed Iran for shooting down a US Apache helicopter in Hormuz.
“We dropped a $250 million bomb on them last night,” Trump told Fox. “You know, the whole thing is crazy, but they’re really in dedication. They just don’t know it yet.”
Iran has so far refused to meet Trump’s demands. Tehran claims control of the Strait of Hormuz, the key sea route through which Middle East exporters shipped 20% of the world’s oil supply before the war.
