Trump drops ominous hint on future plans for Iran

President Donald Trump issued an ominous hint Monday as to what his plans for Iran might be following his administration’s unprecedented attack earlier this month on the Middle East nation.

Speaking with NBC News, Trump was asked whether he planned for the United States to seize Iran’s ample oil reserves, with Iran having the third-largest proven oil reserves on earth, behind only Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Trump declined to confirm or deny whether such plans were in place, but did note that “certainly people have talked about it.”

The Trump administration has already asserted control over Venezuela’s oil trade after launching an attack on the South American nation in January, halting most oil trade to Cuba and opening up trade with Israel for the first time in years.

Trump referenced his administration’s takeover of Venezuela’s oil trade when asked about Iran, but reiterated that, regarding the Middle East nation, it was too early to definitively say whether the United States would seize its oil reserves.

“You look at Venezuela,” Trump told NBC News. “People have thought about it, but it’s too soon to talk about that.”

The Trump administration’s attack on Iran earlier this month has sparked what former White House energy advisor Bob McNally called an “authentic crisis” and the “largest oil disruption ever in history.” The attack saw oil prices surge to more than $100 a barrel, the highest price seen since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Trump has dismissed concerns about rising energy prices, calling them a “very small price to pay,” and saying “only fools think differently.”