Trump Signals Desire to Seize Iran's Oil, Targets Kharg Island

US President Donald Trump has stated that he would prefer to “take the oil” in Iran. Trump also signalled that the US could seize Kharg Island, which is a vital oil export centre for Tehran.

The signal, as reported by TRT World on Monday (30/3/2026), was made by Trump as thousands of additional US troops arrived in the Middle East region, with the war against Iran entering its second month. The deployment of additional forces aims to expand the US military presence in the area.

“Honestly, the favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran,” Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times, published on Sunday (29/3) local time.

Trump compared the approach in Iran to Venezuela, where the US aims to control the oil sector “without a time limit”.

Trump’s latest comments come as oil prices have surged more than 50% in a month, with Brent crude rising above US$116 per barrel amid the ongoing US and Israel war against Iran since 28 February.

“Maybe we seize Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have many options,” Trump said, adding that such a move “would also mean we have to be there for a while”.

“I think they don’t have strong defences. We could take it very easily,” the US President remarked.

As Trump made these comments, the Pentagon or US Department of Defense has ordered the deployment of 10,000 trained troops for ground operations. About 3,500 US troops among them have arrived in the Middle East region, including 2,200 US Marines.

Additional forces are en route.

Washington has been warned that an attack on Kharg Island could increase risks to US troops and prolong the conflict with Iran.