Trump Threatens to Seize Iran's Oil Infrastructure, Cites Venezuela

President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to seize Iran's oil infrastructure including its main export terminal Kharg Island "in the not too distant future."

Trump said in a Truth Social post that the U.S. military will attack Iran "VERY HARD" tonight after completing a round of airstrikes on Wednesday. The president threatened to take "total control" of Iran's oil and gas markets as the U.S. did in Venezuela earlier this year.

Kharg Island is Iran's main oil export terminal, accounting for about 90% of its crude shipments before the war. The U.S. Navy has already choked off most of Iran's exports through a blockade against the country's ports and vessels.

The U.S. launched strikes against military targets on Kharg Island earlier in the war, but has held back from deploying ground troops to seize Iran's oil and gas infrastructure.

Shortly after making those threats, Trump told Fox News that he is not sure "America has the stomach" to take Kharg. The U.S. is continuing to hold talks with Iran, the president said.

"I think they'd like to see us come home, but we did it with Venezuela," Trump told Fox in a live phone call. "Venezuela's worked out great for everybody."

The president said he would prefer not to bomb Iran's power plants when asked by Fox. Trump made such threats earlier in the war.

The Trump administration has basically taken control of Venezuela's oil exports since the U.S. ousted former President Nicolas Maduro in a military raid in January. The revenues from Venezuela's oil sales are deposited in a Treasury Department account. Venezuela's oil shipments are sent to the U.S. Gulf Coast where the crude is refined.

Trump has escalated military pressure on Iran this week as he has grown frustrated with Tehran for not quickly agreeing to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear program. The latest round of escalation this week began when Trump held Iran responsible for shooting down a U.S. Apache helicopter in Hormuz.

"We dropped $250 million worth of bombs on them last night," Trump told Fox. "You know, the whole thing is crazy, but they're really in submission. They just don't know it yet."

Iran so far has refused to meet Trump's demands. Tehran has claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz, the key sea lane through which Middle East exporters shipped 20% of the world's oil supplies before the war.