Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation on March 14, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf’s petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran’s Kharg Island.
– | Afp | Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump said he could “take the oil in Iran” and seize Iran’s export hub of Kharg Island, as hostilities in the Middle East continued into its fifth week.
Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that his “preference would be to take the oil,” comparing it to the U.S. military operation in Venezuela earlier this year where the U.S. effectively gained control of the Latin American country’s oil industry, following the capture of its leader Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration has weighed sending ground forces to the Kharg Island, according to Reuters, with one of its sources warning or such an operation being “very risky.” Tehran has the ability to reach the island with missiles and drones.
In the FT interview, Trump said that “my favourite 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.”
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump said. “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while.”
The White House and the U.S. State Department didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
Trump’s comments come as the conflict between U.S.-Israel and Iran entered its fifth week, with attacks expanding across the region, raising risks to energy and infrastructure, and sending crude oil prices surging.
May futures for international benchmark Brent crude rose 2.92% to $115.86 per barrel during early Asia hours, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were 3.20% higher at $102.80 per barrel.
The Washington Post reported Saturday night that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of potential ground conflict in Iran as thousands of U.S. troops arrive in the region. Around 3,500 troops arrived in the region on Friday. Thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division have also been ordered to support the war effort.
Signaling further escalation, critical infrastructure in the region has come under fire. In a social media post on Monday morning, Kuwait said a service building at a power generation and water desalination plant were damaged in an attack Sunday evening, killing one worker.
The country said the facility was targeted as part of what it described as Iranian aggression against Kuwait. The worker killed was an Indian national, according to the power ministry.
Emergency teams were deployed immediately to contain damage and maintain operations, while authorities coordinated with security agencies to secure the site. Officials said Kuwait’s electricity and water systems remain stable and contingency plans had been activated to ensure continued supply, according to the statement.
Gulf desalination plants supply most drinking water in the region, making them critical infrastructure and a sensitive target in any escalation.
Iran-aligned Houthi forces also entered the conflict and launched missiles toward Israel. “The Yemeni Armed Forces … have carried out the first military operation using a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting sensitive Israeli military sites,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said in a post on X.
— CNBC’s Lee Ying Shan and Azhar Sukri contributed to this report.