‘Fossil-fuel imperialism’: Trump’s hankering for Iranian oil runs deep

Donald Trump has his sights set on Iran’s Kharg Island. Composite: ESA/AFP via Getty Images, UPI/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Donald Trump has his sights set on Iran’s Kharg Island. Composite: ESA/AFP via Getty Images, UPI/Shutterstock Analysis ‘Fossil-fuel imperialism’: Trump’s hankering for Iranian oil runs deep Dharna Noor Experts say the US believes it is entitled to resources it desires – a perspective president has supported for decades Donald Trump said this past weekend he wants to “take the oil in Iran” by seizing control of a key export hub, echoing a refrain he has returned to for over a decade. It’s a sign of his disregard for international law and belief in “fossil-fuel imperialism”, experts say. “Trump truly believes that the US is entitled to whatever resource it so desires,” said Patrick Bigger, co-director of the Transition Security Project, a research initiative focused on the climate and geopolitical concerns of militarization. “It’s a real ‘might-makes-right’ logic that is both abhorrent and spectacularly miscalculated.” Trump is due to provide an update on the Iran war on Wednesday. On Tuesday, he said the conflict could end within weeks, leading the stock market to soar in anticipation of the de-escalation. But Iran has said it would need guarantees against future attacks to halt its counteroffensive. And for now the war is continuing. Iran attacked a fully loaded crude oil tanker anchored at Dubai port on Monday. And earlier on Monday, the president said that if the strategically crucial strait of Hormuz were not “immediately” reopened and a peace deal not reached “shortly”, the US planned on “blowing up and completely obliterating” Iran’s energy infrastructure. (Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial traffic following the outbreak of war in late February.) That includes Kharg Island – the five-mile strip through which 90% of Iran’s oil is exported – as well as its electric generating plants and oilwells. The previous day, Trump told the Financial Times that he wanted US forces to take over Kharg Island and the oil it houses. “To be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran,” he said, “but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘Why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.” With his Sunday statement, Trump “completely discredited” his war on Iran, said Amir Handjani, an energy lawyer and resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a thinktank promoting military restraint and diplomacy. “It undermines all of the other reasons Trump has given for waging this war, and makes it look like what everyone always suspects when the US engages in military confrontation, which is a play for natural resources,” said Handjani, who is also a partner at the communications firm Karv Global. View image in fullscreen A view of oil facilities on the Kharg island on the Persian Gulf about 1,250km (776 miles) south of Tehran in 2016. Photograph: Morteza Nik