Trump says U.S. could take all of Iran and seize its oil

U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could “take the whole country” of Iran and seize its oil if it chose to do so, making the remarks to reporters near the White House on October 23.

“Iran can’t do much right now. And we could, if we wanted, just take all the oil. We could take the whole country. We could take all the oil,” Trump said. He also declared that “the trade of Hormuz is totally ours.”

The comments come amid tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces have reportedly targeted vessels that failed to comply with Tehran’s transit rules. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that ships using unauthorized routes could be pursued across the region.

With peace negotiations at a standstill, Trump has repeatedly suggested expanding military action against the Islamic Republic. In an interview with Time magazine published on October 1, he advocated “annihilating Iran,” saying it was the only way to restore stability in the world.

On October 8, Trump said the United States did not intend to attack Tehran, at least not before the November 3 midterm elections. However, on October 14, he renewed his threats, warning that he would give Iran “a good lesson.”

Iranian Defense Ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik said on October 6 that Iran had increased its production capacity for weapons and defense equipment by 2.5 times over the previous seven months compared with the period before the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

He warned that any new U.S. or Israeli aggression would trigger a “decisive response” and lead to further defeats for the opposing side.

Iran continues to maintain that its nuclear program is peaceful, despite U.S. and Israeli strikes on its nuclear infrastructure in June 2025 and earlier this year. Tehran has condemned the attacks on its facilities as violations of international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.