- By Ajeet Kumar
- Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:49 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Trump admitted wanting Iranian oil, eyes Kharg Island.
- US President believes Kharg Island can be easily seized.
- Highlights Qalibaf's role in Strait of Hormuz passage.
US President Donald Trump said he wants to "take the oil in Iran" and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island, in an interview with Financial Times published on Sunday. The major admision from Trump came more than a month after US-Israel started targeting top Iranian leaders and military officials. "To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘Why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people," NBC News quoted Trump as saying.
"Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don't. We have a lot of options," Trump told the newspaper. "It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while."
What about Iranian military presence?
Asked about Iranian defences there, he said: "I don't think they have any defence. We could take it very easily." The US already launched airstrikes once it said it targeted military positions on the island.
Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and new attacks if US troops land on its territory. Trump said that Iran's parliament speaker authorised the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The comment by Trump in the interview is the latest signal by the Americans of Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf's importance within Iran's theocracy. "They gave us 10" Pakistani-flagged tankers, he said. "Now they're giving 20 and the 20 have already started, and they're going right up the middle of the Strait."
"He's the one who authorised the ships to me," Trump told the newspaper about Qalibaf. "Remember, I said they're giving me a present? And everyone said: What's the present?' ... When they heard about that, they kept their mouth shut, and the negotiations are going very well."
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Qalibaf has maintained a combative personality through his X account in the war, mocking the Americans and issuing threats. But the former Revolutionary Guard commander has seen his profile rise as senior members of the theocracy have been killed.
How would the Kharg Island incursion be disastrous for India?
For India, which imports nearly 90 per cent of its crude needs, the impact would be direct and unavoidable. Even without buying a single barrel from Iran, Indian refiners would be forced to pay more as benchmark prices rise.
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The bigger concern, however, lies in the risk of escalation. Iran could retaliate by targeting or threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but critical chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. A disruption here would not just be a price story, it could become a supply crisis. India sources a large share of its crude from Gulf producers like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, all of which rely on this route.
(With inputs from agencies)