Donald Trump warned that American forces could “very easily’ seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf, as the US-Israeli war entered its fifth week.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times. Asked about Iranian defences there, he said: “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”
His statement came as oil prices were set for a record monthly rise after the Iran-backed Houthis, in Yemen, joined the war by attacking Israel. Brent crude futures jumped $3.09, or 2.74 per cent, to $115.66 a barrel after settling 4.2 per cent higher on Friday.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces on Monday said they were targeting the infrastructure of Iranian leaders “throughout Tehran”.
Iran’s military spokesperson warned over the weekend that the homes of US and Israeli officials had become “legitimate targets” and said Trump was leading US troops into the “swamp of death”amid reports of a ground invasion.
