Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has said that Donald Trump is keeping potential moves against Iran wide open, including the possibility of striking oil facilities on Kharg Island.
The comments landed as IRGC threat message circulated alongside fallout from Israeli attacks on Iranian fuel infrastructure that have already rattled crude markets and raised concerns in Washington about price spikes and blowback.
Speaking with CNN, Waltz said, “Well President Trumps not going to take any options off the table. “
Waltz also pointed to what he described as a deliberate decision to limit initial strikes to military targets, saying, “He deliberately hit the military infrastructure only, for now. And I would certainly think he would maintain that optionality if he wants to take down their energy infrastructure.”
Will Targeting Energy Shift Market Dynamics?
The debate over whether to extend pressure to energy assets comes as the conflict’s target list has already widened in other ways, with Israel hitting fuel storage and distribution nodes near Tehran. U.S. officials were notified ahead of time that strikes were coming, but the breadth of the operation reportedly caught some in Washington off guard.
Iran’s messaging has also been escalating in public, including a state-media report citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “child-killing criminal” and warning, “If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,” in a post attributed to the force. That kind of rhetoric has been unfolding as traders weigh how attacks on fuel systems—separate from oil fields—can still drive sharp moves in crude.
U.S. officials have worried that striking assets tied to everyday life could harden domestic support for Iran’s leadership rather than weaken it. Another concern has been that dramatic visuals, such as burning storage tanks, may amplify volatility even if production capacity is not directly hit.
Strategic Military Moves Amid Oil Security Concerns
This shift in U.S. military strategy coincides with Donald Trump’s recent warning regarding the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of global oil supply transits. In a post on Truth Social, Trump emphasized the importance of keeping the passage “open and safe,” mentioning that nations including China, France, and the U.K. would join the U.S. in safeguarding this critical maritime route amidst concerns over Iranian aggression.
Trump’s remarks about Kharg Island, where U.S. Central Command has targeted military sites while preserving oil infrastructure, reflect a calculated approach to deter Iranian threats. He noted that if Iran interferes with maritime traffic, he would “immediately reconsider this decision,” highlighting the interconnectedness of regional military actions and global energy stability, as outlined in his statements just days ago. vital Strait of Hormuz
Understanding Trumps Calculated Military Strategy
Trump has publicly tried to minimize the political impact of higher energy costs, calling the oil jump a “small price” for world peace. Still, sustained elevated crude levels can filter into higher pump prices, keeping inflation-sensitive markets on alert.
Iran has also pushed a humanitarian narrative at the U.N., with its ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accusing the U.S. and Israel of “horrific crimes” and claiming attacks hit nearly 10,000 civilian sites and caused more than 1,300 civilian deaths since the conflict began. Those assertions frame the dispute as one centered on damage to nonmilitary infrastructure, complicating the politics around any expansion of targets.
Waltz’s remarks, as reported by X, outlined a sequencing argument: start with military-linked sites and preserve the ability to expand to energy infrastructure if Trump chooses. That framing puts Kharg Island in the conversation at the same moment fuel depots and distribution networks have become part of the on-the-ground battlefield.
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