From 'we don’t need it' to 'will keep it': Trump now wants Iranian oil but says nothing on seizing Kharg island

US President Donald Trump on Monday (Apr 6), while speaking to press at the White House Easter Egg Roll event, said that he would want to take Iran’s oil, but he stopped short of it because Americans want the war to be over. “If I had my choice, I’d keep the oil. But I also want to make the people of our country happy,” Trump told reporters. “Unfortunately the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil, it would bring plenty of money. I’d also take care of the people of Iran much better than they’ve been taken care of,” he added.

Trump's remark came after a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week showed three out of four Americans oppose deploying ground troops in Iran. More than half of those surveyed said that they think the war in Iran will impact their own financial situation, Reuters reported. However, even as approval ratings fall, Trump is not ready to end the war. Moreover, calls are growing to invoke 25th amendment against him, with prediction market betting on it.

On March 16, Trump had said the United States did not act against Iran for its oil, adding that the goal was to keep the Strait of Hormuz secure for other nations. He noted that the US already produces more than enough oil for its own needs, calling it one of the country’s greatest assets. Trump also urged nations to buy oil from America. “We don't need oil. We have all the oil we need for ourselves. Its one of the great asset that we have. We have doubled, more than double, what anybody else, in terms of oil production than any other country...so we don't need it. But, we did it because we have some good allies there...you can almost say we didn't, it happened. We have some great Middle Eastern countries there, Israel there, so we did it for a lot of reason but it always remains there that we did it. We never asked for reimbursement and we were really there to save other countries, not us.”

Just days later, Trump on Mar 29 stated that it is his favourite thing to take oil from Iran. Speaking to Financial Times in an interview, Trump said, “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. He also hinted at overtaking Iran's Kharg Island, adding it would be done “very easily.” ”Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options. It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while. Asked about Iran’s defensive capabilities on the island, Trump said: "I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”

In his nationwide address on Apr 1, Trump intensified his rhetoric by portraying Iran as “decimated” while warning of weeks of heavy strikes but did not mention Khag island. Despite earlier suggestions about targeting or seizing Kharg Island, the speech made no mention of it, highlighting inconsistencies in his messaging. The mix of aggressive posturing and shifting positions has added to uncertainty over how and when the conflict might end.

(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)