Trump Says Taking Kharg Island Remains His Preferred Option

11/06/2026

WASHINGTON, Jun 11: US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would prefer not to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, despite warning of intensified military action against the country.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said strikes on infrastructure would primarily hurt ordinary Iranians rather than the government.

“I'd rather not do it because once you do that the people suffer,” Trump said, adding that many Iranians were already living under repression.

At the same time, Trump indicated that the United States was preparing additional military action, saying more strikes were expected later on Thursday night.

“There will be more bombing tonight. It will be bigger — bigger, more powerful,” he said.

Trump also revealed that Washington continues to hold talks with Tehran despite the escalating conflict.

“We are talking to them and all,” he said.

The US president reiterated his preference for targeting Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, rather than broader civilian infrastructure.

“My preference has always been — take Kharg Island,” Trump said, while acknowledging uncertainty about whether the American public would support such an operation.

Meanwhile, CNN reported that plans to seize or destroy facilities on Kharg Island have been under consideration within the Pentagon and White House for months. According to the report, US officials view the island as a critical economic lifeline for Iran, and believe disabling its energy infrastructure could severely weaken Tehran’s ability to sustain the war effort.

However, officials reportedly warned that any attempt to capture the island would likely require significant ground forces and could result in substantial US casualties. As a result, the option has been treated as a potential “endgame” measure and a last-resort strategy.

Trump argued that recent US strikes had already significantly degraded Iran’s capabilities.

“They have no defense. They can't do anything about it... We dropped $250 million worth of bombs on them last night,” he said.

“They're in submission, they just don't know it yet,” Trump added.