Trump says U.S. will seize Iran’s Kharg Island, oil infrastructure
U.S. President Donald Trump during the executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.
Shawn 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.”
The US military will attack Iran “VERY HARD” tonight after completing a series of airstrikes on Wednesday, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The president has threatened to seize “total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets, as the United States did in Venezuela.
Kharg Island is Iran’s main oil export terminal, accounting for approximately 90% of its pre-war crude oil shipments. The US Navy has already blocked most of Iran’s exports due to its blockade of the country’s ports and ships.
Shortly after threatening to seize the island soon, Trump said he wasn’t sure “America has the stomach” to take the key export terminal.
“I think they want us to come home, but we did that with Venezuela,” Trump told Fox News in a live phone call. “Venezuela did a great job for everyone.”
The Trump administration has essentially taken control of Venezuela’s oil exports since the United States overthrew former President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid in January. Revenues from Venezuela’s oil sales are deposited into the account of the Ministry of Treasury. Caracas ships the oil to the US Gulf Coast, where it is refined.
Trump increased military pressure on Iran this week, frustrated that Tehran did not immediately agree to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear program. The latest round of tension began when Trump blamed Iran for the downing of a US Apache helicopter in Hormuz.
“We dropped $250 million worth of bombs on them last night,” Trump told Fox. “You know, everything is crazy, but they’re really surrendering. They just don’t know it yet.”
The United States attacked military targets on Kharg Island early in the war but has mostly avoided targeting or seizing Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure so far.
