President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would order a ground invasion of Kharg Island if U.S. forces “degraded” Iran enough.
The president had been asked about a statement he made in the 1980s, which he shared again this week on Truth Social, in which he stated that he would seize Kharg Island, situated in the Strait of Hormuz, if Iran were to target U.S. troops. Fox News’s Trey Yingst asked Trump if he would order a limited ground invasion to take the island after the Iran war reignited following the two countries’ memorandum of understanding going up in smoke.
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“I can’t say that to you because if I did, it would be foolish, right?” Trump said in an interview with Yingst. “At some point we could, but I think it’s unlikely as far as taking it is concerned. If we degrade them far enough and deep enough back, I would do that.”
Kharg Island is a critical resource for Iran and the global economy, as it is where Tehran processes roughly 90% of its crude oil exports. U.S. forces struck the island in earlier months of the war, but Trump noted Tuesday that he had ordered the oil supply to be left untouched. Both the United States and Iran have asserted military control over the Strait of Hormuz.
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The president’s comments renew a fear sparked in the early days of the war that the U.S. would deploy ground troops as part of the conflict, a prospect that received bipartisan pushback.
In the past few days, U.S. forces have carried out a series of strikes targeting “Iranian capabilities” used to attack commercial vessels. Both countries say they view the ceasefire negotiated last month as terminated, blaming each other for violating its conditions.
