Retired General Floats Seizure of Iran's Kharg Island as Leverage

A former top U.S. commander said Sunday that Washington should consider seizing Iran‘s primary oil-export hub to use as leverage, as the United States launched sweeping airstrikes against roughly 140 targets across Iran following Tehran’s attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

Retired General Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), suggested during an appearance on CBS News’ Face the Nation that the U.S. has the military capability not only to keep the strategic waterway open but also to take control of Kharg Island, a facility at the heart of Iran’s oil economy.

“That’s something we should think about doing because possession of Iranian soil would be a significant factor in future negotiations with Iran,” McKenzie said.

His comments come as tensions between Washington and Tehran have surged following the new round of U.S. strikes and Iranian retaliation across the Persian Gulf, raising questions about whether the conflict is entering a more dangerous phase.

Escalation in the Strait

The latest fighting began after Iran attacked a Cyprus-flagged commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, setting the ship ablaze and forcing its crew to abandon it. In response, the U.S. launched airstrikes against approximately 140 targets across Iran early Sunday, targeting missile and drone launch sites, ammunition depots and other military infrastructure, according to CENTCOM.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said after the operation: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”

Iran later claimed to have retaliated against U.S.-linked targets in Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, while Gulf states reported activating air defense systems and intercepting incoming projectiles.

The renewed fighting has put fresh focus on control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. Before the war, roughly a fifth of global oil and natural gas trade moved through the narrow waterway. Iran has warned the strait will remain closed “until further notice,” while CENTCOM has insisted it remains an international waterway and said U.S. forces are prepared to keep maritime traffic flowing.

Why Kharg Island Matters

McKenzie argued Sunday the U.S. military possesses the capability to seize Kharg Island if ordered to do so.

“It would require putting warships up into narrow waters,” he said. “The U.S. Navy doesn’t love to do that, but they’re very good at it, and if necessary, they can do it, and they can do it well. You got to go back to the basic principle of Iranian statecraft, which is regime preservation. If you want to gain concessions from Iran, you have to directly pressure the regime, and you have to do so in a way that perhaps is existential to them. We have those capabilities should the president choose to go that way.”

Located off Iran’s southern coast, Kharg Island serves as the country’s primary oil-export terminal. Its deep-water facilities can accommodate large tankers that cannot easily load elsewhere along much of Iran’s coastline, making it one of the nation’s most strategically valuable economic assets.

The island has become increasingly central to the debate over how the U.S. should pressure Tehran. Supporters of a harder-line approach argue that controlling or disabling Kharg Island would strike directly at the financial lifeblood of Iran’s government while giving Washington leverage in future negotiations.

A Longstanding Policy Idea

McKenzie’s proposal mirrors a concept that President Donald Trump has discussed for decades.

While promoting his book The Art of the Deal in 1988, Trump told The Guardian he would “do a number on Kharg Island” and “go in and take it” if Iran attacked American forces or assets.

More recently, Trump has repeatedly referenced the island during the current conflict, describing it as Iran’s “crown jewel” and threatening action against its oil infrastructure if Tehran continued disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier this year, Trump also resurfaced a decades-old television interview in which he advocated seizing Iranian oil assets, presenting it as evidence that his views on Iran have remained unchanged for decades.

Strategic Debates and Risks

Not everyone agrees that taking Kharg Island would strengthen Washington’s position.

Supporters such as the late Senator Lindsey Graham have argued that control of the island could dramatically weaken Tehran by threatening a key source of oil revenue and increase U.S. leverage in negotiations.

Critics, however, have warned that occupying the island could expose American troops to sustained Iranian missile and drone attacks from the nearby mainland.

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent previously described such a deployment as potentially creating a hostage situation for U.S. forces, arguing that Iran could repeatedly target any American presence there. Iranian officials have also warned that attempts to seize or occupy Kharg Island would provoke a strong response and risk broadening the conflict even further.

With the U.S. and Iran exchanging fresh strikes, commercial shipping under threat, and both sides publicly disputing control of the strait, the question of whether Washington should target Iran’s most important oil hub is moving toward the center of the policy debate.

Contact Newsweek editor for this story: Anthony Murray.

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This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 4:26 PM.