Somewhere between the coffee and the chyrons, Trump revealed his secret Iran ambition. Phoning into Fox & Friends on Thursday morning, the president took a brief detour from criticizing war coverage to casually disclose that seizing Iran’s Kharg Island has been his dream for years.
“My preference has always been to take Kharg Island,” Trump told hosts Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones, adding warmly, “Brian knows that, I spoke to him a long time ago, Lawrence knows it, I spoke to him a long time — we go way back.”
Kharg Island is not some forgotten patch of land in the Persian Gulf. The island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports, making it one of the country’s most valuable economic assets. Trump spent part of the interview talking himself through the idea, suggesting “you’d make a fortune,” before adding, “I don’t know that America has a stomach for it, to be honest with you.”
The conversation did not stay in the realm of speculation for very long. Later Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that “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.”
President Trump on Truth Social…
“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” pic.twitter.com/6azLBGca72— Steve Calvert 🇺🇸 ✟ (@JobberSteve65) June 11, 2026
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Iran’s response arrived quickly. Senior Iranian official Ebrahim Azizi described Trump as “confused and erratic” and warned that Iran would deliver a “firm, crushing, painful, and regret-inducing response” to any seizure attempt. He also said Iranian forces on the island were operating at a “maximum level of military preparedness.”
As it turns out, Kharg Island is hardly a new fascination. Back in March, Trump told the Financial Times he could take the island “very easily,” claiming “I don’t think they have any defence.” The U.S. military had already struck military sites on the island that month, though Trump chose not to target the oil infrastructure.
At the time, he wrote on Truth Social: “For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island.” Decency remains one explanation. Keeping an eye on future profits is another.
Trump also pointed to Venezuela as proof that such ideas can work. Speaking with the Fox hosts, he argued the operation there had “worked out great for everybody,” with millions of barrels flowing to Houston refineries running “24 hours a day, making a fortune.”
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with stalled ceasefire negotiations and has spent much of the week warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for dragging its feet toward a deal.
The broader reality was far less peaceful. Overnight, the U.S. military carried out another round of what it described as “self-defense” airstrikes across Iran. It was at least the sixth such operation since the ceasefire began in April, a ceasefire that now seems to spend most of its time surviving airstrikes.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
