Iran-US war latest: Trump says it would be ‘easy’ to seize Kharg Island but deal could be made ‘quickly’

Donald Trump told the Guardian way back in 1988 that he would “do a number on Kharg Island”, as US-Iranian relations fell to a new low.

Trump said in the interview that he was not yet eyeing the role of president. He nonetheless aired strong opinions on how to tackle the world’s problems.

“I’d be harsh on Iran,” he said. “They’ve been beating us psychologically, making us look a bunch of fools. One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it.”

“Iran can’t even beat Iraq, yet they push the United States around. It’d be good for the world to take them on,” he continued, as noted by the BBC.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump said that the US and Iran have been meeting directly and indirectly, appraising the new leaders of the country as being “very reasonable”.

With Iran’s top leadership decimated in four weeks of war, Trump said on Sunday he thought the US had already accomplished regime change in the country.

Pakistan, acting as an intermediary between the US and Iran, said it was preparing to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days aimed at ending the war.

US eyes possible Kharg invasion

Trump’s comments came even as more US troops arrived in the region, giving Trump the option of launching a ground offensive.

In an interview with Financial Times published on Sunday, Trump said he wanted to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. Taking control of Kharg would require ground troops.

Iran’s parliament speaker accused the US of trying to negotiate while also planning an invasion, and said Iran was ready to respond if needed.

Netanyahu greenlights wider invasion in Lebanon

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said meanwhile on Sunday that he had ordered the military to expand its operations in southern Lebanon, blaming Hezbollah rocket fire.

Israel said last week it was enlarging a ‘buffer zone’ up to the Litani River.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis joined the conflict on Saturday, launching their first attacks on Israel and raising the prospect they could target and thus block a second key shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Israeli authorities said on Sunday that they had intercepted two drones launched from Yemen.

Supreme leader still out of frame

Iran’s new supreme leader thanked the Iraqi people and religious leadership for their support of Iran, according to Iran’s state media. But it was unclear how the message was conveyed.

Mojtaba Khamenei still has not been seen since his appointment as the third supreme leader of Iran in early March.

Thousands of U.S. servicemembers have deployed to the Middle East as the war with Iran enters its second month, underscoring the scale of the American military buildup in the region.

On Friday, roughly 3,500 Marines and sailors aboard the USS Tripoli — an amphibious assault ship — entered the U.S. Central Command’s “area of responsibility,” the military command announced on Saturday. CENTCOM oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East.

The vessel also carries transport aircraft, tactical assets as well as strike fighter jets. Photos posted by CENTCOM show soldiers wearing helmets, goggles and combat fatigues.

Iran has confirmed the death of Navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, days after Israel claimed to have assassinated him.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death on Monday in comments carried by state media.

He died of wounds sustained after being targeted in an airstrike in Bandar Abbas, according to the Israeli military and Iranian media.

A native of Bushehr, he rose through the ranks to lead the IRGC Navy in 2018 and oversaw what Iran calls the “smart control” of the Strait of Hormuz, restricting passage through the vital global oil route.

Donald Trump has sent thousands of US soldiers to the Middle East, signalling that a ground invasion of a small island in the Persian Gulf remains on the table even as he touts success in supposed talks to end the war.

The president told the Financial Times that he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and might still use American troops to seize the tiny Kharg Island, the country’s main oil exporting terminal.

Kharg Island handles some 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports, and taking it would give the US the ability to disrupt Iran’s energy trade and place enormous pressure on the economy.

Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet energy bosses in Downing Street on Monday, after the price of brent crude oil soared to $115 a barrel.

The prime minister is set to meet senior executives from the energy, shipping and financial services, including representatives from BP, Shell, Goldman Sachs and Lloyd’s of London, to discuss the impact of the Iran war.

Discussion is expected to focus on Tehran’s ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted a vital shipping route for the oil and gas industry along with supplies of other products such as fertiliser.

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Israel is facing a new barrage of missile fire from Iran, according to Israeli reporter Amit Segal, writing on Telegram.

Israel’s chief of the general staff has concluded an inquiry into the conduct of IDF soldiers towards journalists during the evacuation of an illegal outpost in the West Bank, finding “several failures”, including deviation from orders and inappropriate communication with members of the press.

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Monday suspended all operational activities of a reserve battalion involved in the detention and assault of a CNN team in the West Bank last week.

CNN was covering the aftermath of a violent assault by settlers in the Palestinian village of Tayasir when reporters were detained. One of the soldiers placed a photographer in a chokehold, bringing him to the ground and damaging his camera, according to the website.

Reservists who served in the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion will be withdrawn and reassigned to training until further notice, an Israeli military official told CNN.

Lt. Gen. Zamir said: “This is a grave ethical incident that is out of line with IDF norms and values. We all swore the soldier’s oath upon enlistment—weapons are to be used solely for the purpose of carrying out the mission, and never for revenge. We will not accept such incidents within the ranks of the IDF.”

The Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group known for its attacks on shipping, have joined the Iran war just as it enters its fifth week.

Their involvement escalates a rapidly worsening conflict that has already placed global oil supplies in a chokehold amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and reports of an impending ground invasion by US troops.

Backed by Iran, the Houthis had stayed out of the conflict until they launched attacks on Israel on Saturday.