Donald Trump told NBC News the US could carry out more strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal “just for fun,” and said he did not expect a rapid peace deal with Tehran. He claimed Kharg Island had been largely “decimated” but said energy lines were spared to avoid long rebuilds. Trump questioned whether Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei “is even alive,” and said it was unclear if mines had been laid in the Strait of Hormuz — a route that typically carries about one‑fifth of global crude. He urged other nations to help secure the strait, but declined to confirm whether the US Navy would escort ships.
Trump Says US Might Strike Iran’s Kharg Island ‘Just For Fun’ — Raises Questions About Khamenei, Hormuz Security
Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC on 2 March 2026.Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images(Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images)
Former US President Donald Trump told NBC News on Saturday that the United States might carry out additional strikes on Iran’s strategic oil export terminal on Kharg Island “just for fun,” and dismissed the likelihood of a swift peace deal with Tehran.
Speaking in a roughly 30‑minute phone interview, Trump repeated his claim that US strikes had “totally decimated” much of Kharg Island while adding that he had avoided damaging energy pipelines because rebuilding them would take years. He said the military might strike the facility "a few more times just for fun." These statements reflect Trump’s public posture and have not been independently confirmed by third‑party verification.
“We’ve totally decimated it,” Trump told NBC. “Except, as you know, I didn’t do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years.”
Trump also raised an unverified question about Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, saying he was unsure whether Khamenei “is even alive,” echoing ongoing public speculation about the leader’s condition.
On regional maritime security, Trump said it was unclear whether Iran had laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which he said has been effectively closed since the conflict began two weeks ago. The strait is a critical shipping lane for global energy: roughly one‑fifth of the world’s crude oil typically transits the waterway.
Market concerns over the conflict and the strait’s disruption have pushed oil prices to their highest levels in about four years, contributing to higher fuel costs worldwide. Trump said the US would be “sweeping the strait very strongly” and expects other countries that rely on the passage to join the effort, though he did not name partners or give a timetable.
On social media, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way,” and urged oil‑importing countries to take responsibility for securing the Hormuz passage, adding that the US would “help — A LOT.”
“The US will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be — It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!”
When asked whether the US Navy would escort commercial vessels through the strait, Trump declined to give details: “I don’t want to tell you anything about that,” he told NBC. He also expressed surprise that US regional partners in the Gulf had been targeted by Iran, calling those attacks “the biggest surprise I had of this whole thing.”
Reporting on claims such as damage to Kharg Island, the presence of mines, and the health of Iranian leaders remains ongoing. Independent verification from multiple sources will be required to substantiate those assertions.
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