President Donald Trump complained about “stupid people” expressing doubts about his plans to “take” Iran’s oil in a major escalation of his war in the Middle East.
More than a month into the war, oil prices have surged by more than 50 percent, driving gasoline up to nearly $4 per gallon on average in the U.S.
The president is eager to force Iran to reopen to the Strait of Hormuz and is considering seizing Iran’s oil production to put pressure on the regime.
“To be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran, but some stupid people back in the U.S. say, ‘Why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday.
Such a move would require seizing the export hub of Kharg Island, which processes 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil.
The administration has deployed about 10,000 ground troops to the region, sparking speculation that Trump plans to invade the island. About 3,500 troops arrived on Friday, including 2,200 Marines, while thousands more are en route.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,” Trump told the FT. “We have a lot of options.”
Military experts say that before reaching Kharg Island, ships carrying U.S. Marine Expeditionary Units—which specialize in rapid-response landings, raids, and assaults missions—would have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
There they would likely be attacked by Iranian drones and missiles, and would need to navigate mines laid in the channel, NATO’s former supreme allied commander James Stavridis wrote in a column for Bloomberg.
“Once in position off Kharg, the Marines would need ironclad air and sea superiority over at least 100 miles around the island,” Stavridis wrote. “U.S. casualties would almost certainly rise quickly from the 13 who have so far been killed during Operation Epic Fury.”
As of last week, the island was “lightly protected,” according to Stavridis, but he warned that could change quickly. He also noted that the Iranians could have planted sophisticated traps on the island.
Trump, however, has downplayed the risks.
“I don’t think they have any defense,” he told the FT of Kharg Island. “We could take it very easily.”
The president also claimed during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that Iran’s strike capabilities had been nearly eliminated, and that Iran had “very few rockets left.”
In fact, intelligence assessments show that the regime still at least one-third, if not more, of its pre-war fire power.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
