‘Big day in Iran’: Trump says many ‘sought after’ targets hit, weighs seizing Kharg island

US President Donald Trump on Monday declared that American forces had struck “many long sought after targets” in Iran, as the Pentagon surged thousands of troops to the Middle East, raising tensions across an already volatile region.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Big day in Iran. Many long sought after targets have been taken out and destroyed by our GREAT MILITARY, the finest and most lethal in the World. God bless you all!”

The president offered no details about the locations or scope of the reported strikes.

In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Trump said he was considering taking control of Iran’s oil resources, including Kharg Island, the country’s primary oil export terminal.

“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran,” Trump said, adding that the United States had “a lot of options.”

He suggested US forces could seize Kharg Island with little resistance.

“I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily,” he said, while acknowledging such a move would require a sustained presence.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” FT quoted Trump as saying. “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while.”

US officials said about 3,500 troops had arrived in recent days, including roughly 2,200 Marines, with another 2,200 Marines en route.

The military buildup has fuelled concerns of a wider conflict amid mixed diplomatic signals.

Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said that Islamabad would host talks between the United States and Iran in the coming days, following consultations with senior diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

He said both Washington and Tehran had expressed confidence in Pakistan facilitating negotiations. However, neither the US nor Iran immediately confirmed participation.

Trump did not address the proposed talks directly but told reporters aboard Air Force One that the US was engaged in discussions with Iran and “doing extremely well in that negotiation.”

He also said Tehran had responded to a US-proposed 15-point ceasefire plan, claiming, “They gave us most of the points,” without elaborating.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed the reported talks as a pretext for US military escalation, warning that Iranian forces were prepared to confront American troops if they landed.

According to Iranian state media, Qalibaf said Iran was “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground” and threatened retaliation against US forces and regional partners.