Donald Trump has suggested that the United States is looking to seize Iran’s oil industry, appearing to argue that more time is needed for the war.
“With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE,” the US president wrote in a social media post on Friday.
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“IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???”
It is not clear how the US would open Hormuz, which Iran effectively blocked early in the conflict, sending energy prices soaring.
Trump has been promising for weeks that the US will reopen the strait soon. One month ago, he said that US Navy ships would accompany oil ships through the strategic waterway.
But the US military has said that it is “not ready” to escort slow-moving vessels in the narrow strait, where its ships could become an easy target for Iranian drones and missiles.
Trump’s assertion that the US would “take” Iran’s oil marks an escalation in his rhetoric.
Under the international law doctrine of Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1962, oil and minerals belong to the countries where they are located.
“The free and beneficial exercise of the sovereignty of peoples and nations over their natural resources must be furthered by the mutual respect of States based on their sovereign equality,” the resolution says.
Trump has regularly called for “taking the oil” in countries where the US has been militarily involved, including Iraq and Venezuela.
The Iranian governing system has remained intact despite the assassinations of some of its top officials and the daily bombardment by the US and Israel, and it remains in control of the country’s natural resources.
The US has no publicly known military presence on the ground inside Iran. Trump did not provide details on how his administration plans to control the country’s oil.
In Venezuela, since US forces abducted President Nicolas Maduro in January, his successor, Delcy Rodriguez, has been working with the Trump administration to sell large amounts of oil.
Earlier this week, Trump suggested that replicating the Venezuelan model in Iran is possible, but it would require prolonging the war.
“We could just take their oil. But, you know, I’m not sure that the people in our country have the patience to do that, which is unfortunate,” Trump said.
“They want to see it end. If we stayed there, I prefer just to take the oil. We could do it so easily; I would prefer that. But people in the country sort of say, ‘Just win. You’re winning so big, just win. Come home.’”
At the outset of the conflict, the Trump administration said the war would last four to six weeks.
The war will enter its sixth week on Saturday.
Trump has been claiming that US forces have crushed Iran’s military capabilities, but Tehran continues to block Hormuz and fire missiles and drones at Israel and other targets across the entire region.
Trump has been threatening to bomb civilian infrastructure across Iran, including power stations and water desalination plants.
On Wednesday, he shared footage of the destruction of a major civilian bridge in Iran, warning of similar attacks in the future.
Bombing civilian sites amounts to collective punishment and is prohibited under international law, legal experts say.
On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei likened the US attack on the bridge to ISIL (ISIS) tactics.
“This DAESH/ISIS-style terrorist war crime, along with similar attacks on Iran’s critical infrastructure, reveals one undeniable truth: their ultimate goal is the destruction of Iran,”
