President Trump announced on March 30 that “considerable progress” has been made in talks to end the war, but warned that serious measures could be taken if “an agreement is not reached quickly.”
He had previously stated that Tehran, “out of respect,” would allow the passage of 20 ships through the Strait of Hormuz on March 30. However, they are passing slowly.
On the same day, in a message posted on Truth Social, he reiterated his remarks about the progress of negotiations. He emphasized that if Iran does not reach an agreement quickly, the United States will “destroy all its power plants, oil wells, and the Kharg Island (and maybe even all its desalination plants!)”.
Trump also told the Financial Times on the same day that the United States could “seize Iranian oil” and was considering sending American forces to take control of the oil terminal on Kharg Island.
In his latest statements, reopening the Strait of Hormuz is no longer a mandatory prerequisite for a ceasefire.
He mentioned the possible seizure of Kharg Island, which he believed would be “easy.” However, reaching the island by sea would require passing through the heavily guarded Strait of Hormuz and navigating past Iranian missiles and drones along its coast. Even if the island is captured and considered lost by Tehran, it could still be bombed from the coast located 25 kilometers away.
It is possible that Kharg Island is just a diversion, and the real target of the US naval deployment in the Oman Sea could be something else. Iran built the Goreh-Jask pipeline in 2021, stretching 1100 kilometers, to reduce dependence on Kharg Island for oil exports.
This infrastructure theoretically has a capacity of one million barrels per day (Iran usually exports between 1 and 1.5 million barrels per day).
Not only is this pipeline and its pumping stations vulnerable to American airstrikes, but the port of Jask is also an achievable target given its location in the Gulf of Oman. While Iranians may have fortified the area, the US firepower makes it a feasible target even though the US fleet avoids entering the heavily protected Strait of Hormuz.
Simultaneously, the US Navy could block the exit of Persian Gulf to tankers loaded with oil from Kharg Island and potentially target its installations with heavy bombardments, preventing Tehran from exporting oil and causing catastrophic economic consequences.
Of course, in retaliation, Tehran would likely target all petrochemical installations in the region, sparing perhaps Qatar, which no longer allows US military actions from its soil.
President Trump aims to completely block Iran’s military nuclear development. However, the operation (as reported) of Special Forces retrieving 440 kilos of highly enriched uranium hexafluoride from “Pickaxe Mountain,” a bunker buried 80-100 meters deep in granite south of Natanz, seems highly impractical.
(Context: The article discusses President Trump’s statements about the progress in peace talks with Iran and the potential consequences if no agreement is reached. It also highlights the strategic importance of Kharg Island in the region.)
(Fact Check: The article mentions the possibility of US military actions targeting Iranian oil infrastructure and the challenges involved in certain military operations against Iran.)
