President of the United States Donald Trump A possible operation to seize Iran’s key Khargah island will “not be considered” if both sides sign a deal to end the war, he said on Thursday (local time), saying the deal “could be reached as early as this weekend”.“ALSO READ | Invasion baby, invasion: Trump eyes Iranian energy giant Kharg IslandThe Republican leader’s statement came days after he posted on social media that “at some point in the not-too-distant future” the United States would seize Al-Haqq, which accounts for 90 percent of the Islamic Republic’s total oil exports.Asked whether Operation Kharg Island had been ruled out, he told reporters in the Oval Office: “Now, if we signed this agreement, that would be (excluded from negotiations). When they heard I was scheduled to do it, they weren’t that excited. I just don’t think I like it.”Trump also mentioned oil-rich Venezuela, where U.S. military intervention in January led to the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro. He claimed that “millions of barrels” of oil were being shipped from the South American country to the United States.“Look at Venezuela, how good it turned out. We paid the price for this war many times… Millions of barrels of oil were shipped from Venezuela to Houston and we worked very well with the Venezuelan government. It couldn’t have been better. It was a really good relationship… Venezuela was amazing. It was a bigger situation… We went to war and ended up just killing a lot of people and then we went home. Nothing happened,” he added.ALSO READ | ‘Great solution coming soon in Europe’: Trump thinks Iran deal is close, but Tehran hasn’t given the nod yetThe United States has twice attacked Kharg Island in the current conflict.At the same time, Trump further pointed out that in recent months, the US military has mobilized ships and transported millions of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the waterway would open “immediately,” possibly on Saturday or Monday, but avoided calling it a “deadline.”“The Channel will be open immediately. This signing will probably happen on Saturday or Monday. We think it will happen very quickly. I don’t want to say deadline, because if I say deadline, you will say, oh, he didn’t meet the deadline. It will be signed. The Channel is open. But the Channel has been open for a few months, you just don’t know it. I just announced yesterday that we are buying a lot of ships and moving millions, hundreds of millions of barrels of oil. “Trump said.
Do you think the ongoing negotiations can ease tensions between the United States and Iran?
The Strait of Hormuz has been under a virtual blockade by Iran since early March in response to the U.S.-Israeli attack that sparked conflict in the Middle East on February 28. About 20% of the world’s crude oil passes through this important route.
