Hours before President Donald Trump said the US “ended the war with Iran,” he threatened to take over Kharg Island, an economic lifeline for Tehran.
“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 said, also threatening to launch a third round of strikes.
The US has conducted multiple major air strikes on military installations on Kharg Island — which typically handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports — but the attacks have deliberately avoided striking critical energy infrastructure.
Trump conceded he was not sure Americans had “the appetite” for the major operation that would be required to take the island, telling Fox News: “I don’t know that America has the stomach, I think they’d like to see us come home.”
Dangerous offensive: Plans for the military to try to capture the island have been drawn up for months, but repeatedly shelved because the operation was considered too risky, a senior Pentagon official and two administration officials told CNN. Wiping out the island’s energy infrastructure would effectively bankrupt Iran and diminish its capabilities to the point of being unable to continue in the war, administration officials said.
Officials have told Trump that such an operation would likely require a significant number of ground troops and could potentially result in heavy US casualties.
Due to those calculations, the Pentagon and White House considered any moves to take Kharg Island as an “endgame” option — a last resort that could shift the balance of the war, but at a high cost, the officials said.
How Iran is building up defenses: Iran has been preparing for months for a US operation to take control of Kharg Island. Iran laid traps and moved more military personnel and air defenses to Kharg, sources previously told CNN.
After Trump’s threats on Thursday, Iranian officials vowed a severe response. Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: “Explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years. You will see a different Iran.”
CNN’s Alayna Treene, Natasha Bertrand, Aida Karimi, Sophie Tanno, Billy Stockwell contributed reporting.
