President Trump declined to say Sunday whether the U.S. struck an Iranian cargo vessel that was hit near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member and wounding four others. Asked directly by a reporter, Trump said only, “I don’t want to say.” In the same appearance, he floated the idea that the U.S. could stay in Iran and “keep the oil,” comparing it to the administration’s arrangement with Venezuela’s reserves.
What actually happened to the Iranian ship?
Iranian state media said the cargo vessel was struck Sunday off Qeshm Island, an Iranian island that sits directly in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one of the ship’s 10 crew members and wounding four more. Tehran blamed a “terrorist enemy” for the strike but hasn’t identified what was used to hit the ship. The attack forced the postponement of a planned briefing Iran intended to give neighboring countries about its efforts to manage shipping through the strait, removing one of the only diplomatic channels active around Hormuz right now.
Why would the U.S. want to “keep the oil” in Iran?
Trump’s comparison to Venezuela is the clearest signal of what he means: rather than a full withdrawal once the current conflict winds down, he’s floating an arrangement where U.S. forces maintain some presence specifically tied to controlling oil output or revenue, similar to steps the administration has taken with Venezuelan reserves. Trump added that he expects gas prices to eventually fall once the war ends, though that’s not what’s happening right now — AAA’s national average rose roughly 17 cents over the past week to $4.31 a gallon, moving in the opposite direction as Brent crude pushed past $108 a barrel following the Saudi pipeline shutdown.
Neither comment resolves the actual open questions: who struck the Iranian cargo ship, and what a long-term U.S. presence tied to Iranian oil would actually look like. Both remain unanswered heading into a week where the Fed is also weighing a rate decision shaped partly by these same energy costs.
Sources: France 24 · CNN · Local 10 News · The Epoch Times
