Trump threatens Iran oil seizure as strikes intensify

President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to hit Iran “very hard” within hours and seize Kharg Island, a vital hub for Iranian oil exports, as two days of renewed U.S.-Iran strikes put ceasefire efforts under severe strain and drew neighboring Gulf states into the conflict.

“The United States will be hitting Iran… VERY HARD TONIGHT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, claiming Iran’s “Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense” and much of its offensive capability were “GONE.” He added that the United States would, “in the not too distant future,” take Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points and “assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets.”

Kharg Island processes 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports, Al Jazeera reported.

Trump later told Fox News that taking the island had always been his “preference,” but he was uncertain whether Americans supported such an operation. “I don’t know that America has the appetite,” he said, according to CBS News. Al Jazeera quoted him as saying he did not know whether America had “the stomach for it.” Trump said he would “rather not” deploy ground forces, but added: “If I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the whole place.”

The latest escalation followed U.S. strikes inside Iran and Iranian missile and drone attacks on countries hosting U.S. forces. Kuwait said its military had dealt with 24 Iranian attack drones over two days, with “limited material damage without any human casualties.” Bahrain said an 11-year-old girl suffered minor injuries after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone damaged homes and set cars on fire. Jordan’s military said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles launched toward Azraq, where an American military base is located, and reported no injuries or damage from debris.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted Al-Azraq Air Base and its control center with 12 ballistic missiles, according to Iranian state-linked media cited by both outlets. Jordan did not acknowledge a successful strike.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the U.S. attacks, saying they rendered the nearly two-month ceasefire “practically meaningless.” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi called the strikes “a widespread and utter nullification of the ceasefire,” Al Jazeera reported.

Diplomacy continued despite the fighting. A Qatari negotiating team returned to Doha after meetings in Tehran that ran into the early morning, a Qatari official told CBS News. Pakistan said it remained engaged in efforts to broker a “negotiated settlement.” But Iran’s semi-official Fars News agency quoted a source close to Tehran’s negotiating team as saying Iran was not involved in new talks with the United States and had maintained its positions during indirect negotiations.

The conflict also expanded at sea. U.S. Central Command said it struck the Guinea-Bissau-flagged M/T Jalveer in the Gulf of Oman after the crew failed to comply with U.S. directions, the third commercial vessel targeted this week. CENTCOM previously said U.S. forces struck the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello for attempting to transport Iranian oil and the M/T Marivex for attempting to sail to an Iranian port.

India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said three Indian seafarers on the Settebello were confirmed dead. “This is a profound loss to our maritime family,” he wrote. An Indian official said a senior U.S. diplomat was summoned to hear India’s “strong protest.” Al Jazeera reported that India called on the United States to cease attacks.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran would pay for damage to U.S. Gulf allies. “Any damage it inflicts on our allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian Accounts,” he wrote on X. He also said tolls paid to Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority would be offset by funds extracted from Iranian accounts.

Iran announced the full closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported, while U.S. Central Command denied the strait was closed and said commercial ships continued to transit. The Kremlin urged both sides to show restraint. “We call on all parties in this conflict to exercise restraint and return to the negotiating table,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.