Trump says Iran talks going 'extremely well', deal possible soon

Donald Trump said the United States could “take the oil in Iran” and raised the possibility of seizing the country’s main export hub, Kharg Island, according to an interview with the Financial Times.

“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” the US president was quoted as saying by FT.

Such a move would involve seizing Kharg Island, through which most of Iran’s crude exports pass.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” he said, adding that any operation would likely require US forces to remain there for some time.

The comments come as the United States sends thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, including Marines and units from the 82nd Airborne Division.

An Indian worker was killed in an Iranian attack on a power and water desalination facility in Kuwait, the country’s Ministry of Electricity and Water said.

In a statement posted on social media, the ministry said the strike also damaged a service building at the plant.

The reported attack highlights the growing risk to critical energy and water infrastructure across the region as the conflict expands.

This is not wishful thinking; it's a conservative estimate grounded in Iran's untapped potential, benchmarked against its neighbors like Turkey, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

A free Iran represents the single largest untapped pro-American economic opportunity of the 21st century. Conservative modeling shows over $1 trillion in US export revenues, millions of American jobs, decisive energy-price stabilization, and the permanent collapse of the world’s most dangerous state sponsor of terrorism, without US occupation or nation-building.

Iran is the last large greenfield market opportunity in the world. It combines industrial sophistication, underinvestment, labor arbitrage, and a large population base. We can turn the North Korea of the Middle East into the South Korea of the region.

What makes Iran different is the rare convergence of scale, capability, and readiness. Iran is not a fragile post-conflict state; it is a compressed modern economy held back by ideology, not capacity.

It graduates roughly 250,000 engineers annually, with STEM penetration rivaling that of advanced industrial nations, and has a global diaspora poised for immediate reverse brain drain. Its 90-million-plus, urbanized population sits in a demographic sweet spot, young, educated, and consumer-ready, creating instant market scale.

Geographically, Iran is a natural Eurasian bridge, linking the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf and serving as a credible alternative logistics corridor between East and West.

Unlike hydrocarbon-only economies, Iran combines energy abundance with deep industrial and manufacturing capability, enabling it to build, not merely extract.

Finally, Iran’s vast diaspora is highly productive and skilled economically and professionally. In America alone, Iranian Americans have helped create trillions of dollars in value and millions of jobs via such companies. We estimate that millions in the diaspora will return at least part-time and invest in the vast potential to rebuild Iran into an economic powerhouse.

For 47 years, the Islamic Republic has squandered Iran's vast resources on terrorism, proxy wars, and nuclear ambitions, leaving its economy in ruins and its infrastructure crumbling. But imagine a free Iran—a secular, democratic nation restored to its pre-1979 glory as a US ally, recognizing Israel, and joining an expanded Abraham Accords, perhaps rebranded as the Cyrus Accords in honor of ancient Persian tolerance.

Under a committed, democratic Iranian government, anchored by investment protections and US-approved financing, the country would embark on a "catch-up" phase of massive modernization. Half of that $1 trillion in US sales could materialize in the first five alone, concentrated in high-value sectors that create millions of American jobs.

Take aviation, where Iran's fleet is a relic of sanctions and neglect. Replacing at least 250 wide-body jets, narrow-body aircraft, infrastructure upgrades, and maintenance services, could generate $150 billion over a decade. This isn't charity; it's smart business, revitalizing an industry starved of growth.

The transportation and automotive sectors offer another $150 billion. With demand for a million electric vehicles, think Tesla, plus passenger cars, trucks, agricultural machinery, and EV charging networks, American innovators stand to dominate. Iran's roads and farms have been starved of investment; a free market would unleash pent-up demand for quality US products.

Even in military and security, opportunities abound for $250 billion modernization: command systems, ISR technology, training, and sustainment. A post-regime Iran would pivot from sponsoring Hezbollah and Hamas to partnering against terrorism, creating long-term contracts for US defense firms while bolstering regional stability.

The energy sector alone could deliver $300 billion in non-ownership revenues through services, reconstruction, equipment, and technology licensing. Upstream drilling tech, midstream pipelines, downstream refining upgrades, and risk-management services would flow to companies like ExxonMobil and Halliburton. Iran's reserves are among the world's largest; a reliable, transparent supplier could help stabilize global prices and reduce dependence on adversaries such as Russia.

Beyond these, additional sectors from water infrastructure and AI networks to biotechnology, healthcare, finance, and entertainment could add $350 billion. U.S. firms in IT, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods would tap into an educated, 90+ million-strong market eager for American products. Tourism could boom with resorts and hotels, while mining critical minerals would secure supply chains for American tech. Wall Street could be the main driver of many of the deals, which will generate significant fees and other services revenue.

Iran's prolonged underinvestment means explosive growth post-opening, outpacing even the post-Soviet Eastern Europe boom. Unlike risky ventures elsewhere, this would be backed by vast natural resources and a government that prioritizes U.S. ties and includes safeguards against corruption.

Critics will cry "interventionism," but the Iranian people are already fighting—with bare hands against foreign mercenaries like Hezbollah, Hashd al-Shabi, and Fatemiyoun. They need the regime’s killing capacity neutralized—its surveillance, command nodes, and imported mercenaries degraded—so civil resistance can succeed.

A free Iran isn't just good for Iranians; it's the biggest strategic global win for America since winning WWII and defeating the Soviet Union. It offers the largest economic and peace dividend since the fall of the Soviet Union. It would dismantle the axis of evil, secure the Middle East, and deliver prosperity that echoes and expands the pre-Khomeini era when Iran was a pillar of peace. Iran can catch up on what it lost in 47 years in just 10 years.

The regime is a rotting corpse; let's bury it and build a future where Iran and America thrive together. The opportunity is here; let’s seize it.

An 11-year-old Iranian boy killed in recent fighting has been identified as having been present at a Revolutionary Guard checkpoint in Tehran at the time of his death, according to Iranian media and rights groups.

The child, Alireza Jafari, a fifth-grade student, was killed in what officials described as a drone attack. His name had earlier appeared on casualty lists, but the Basij Teachers Organization later confirmed he died “while on duty” at the site.

His mother told the newspaper Hamshahri that the boy had accompanied his father, who was serving at the checkpoint, because of a reported shortage of personnel.

Rights groups and Iranian outlets reporting the case say teenagers are also sometimes present at such checkpoints.

The report comes as outlets linked to Iran’s security establishment promote a volunteer campaign allowing participants as young as 12 to register for support roles tied to security efforts.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee accused Donald Trump of fabricating claims about negotiations with Iran as markets reacted to the escalating war and disruptions to global energy supplies.

“Last Sunday, he realized, ‘I’ve got a financial cataclysm in the market,’ so he just made that statement up,” Himes said on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.

The comments came after Trump announced he would push back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, following threats to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran failed to comply.

Himes argued the episode showed Iran had gained leverage as the conflict pushed oil prices higher and drove up gasoline costs in the United States.