
US President Donald Trump says he could "take Iran's oil" and possibly seize the key fuel hub on Kharg Island.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump states that the US could take the island "easily", adding that a peace agreement could be reached "relatively quickly".
“To be honest with you, my favorite thing is to get the oil in Iran, but some stupid people in the US say, ‘Why are you doing this?’ But they are stupid people,” he said.
Iran has threatened to expand retaliatory attacks on universities and the homes of American and Israeli officials.
Earlier, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament said forces were "waiting" for US ground troops to "open fire on them" after the US announced that 3,500 soldiers were in the region along with a warship.
The US has its eye on the island because it houses a major oil terminal, Iran's main economic lifeline.
Its occupation would not only hinder Iran's oil exports, but could also provide a platform from which attacks against the continent could be carried out.
Taking the island would effectively cut off a major source of revenue for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), affecting its ability to wage war.