If Donald Trump channeled Rod Stewart last night, as Duane wrote this morning, then perhaps he will channel Carly Simon tonight: Coming Around Again.
One question that arose yesterday, as Round 2 began in the renewed war, was whether this was a demonstration rather than a determined attempt to defeat an enemy. Trump talked about how Iran had missed its chance at a negotiated peace via its usual stall tactics. Pete Hegseth spoke to the desire of the administration to settle the hostilities through negotiations while arriving at CENTCOM to oversee the new offensive operations. White House sources leaked to reporters like Barak Ravid that Trump would still accept a signature on his last proposal, as long as the IRGC firmly committed to it.
A demonstration strike would only require a short burst of destruction. This morning, though, Trump announced well ahead of time that the operations would continue for another round. He also threatened to seize Kharg Island, a move that would require boots on the ground but would cripple the Iranian regime permanently by seizing almost all means of oil exports:
The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of Defense, together with most of its offensive capability, are GONE!), VERY HARD TONIGHT. At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Trump has talked about seizing Kharg Island for nearly 40 years, and that's no exaggeration. He told Barbara Walters in a 1987 interview that Iran had cost the US plenty already at that point, and that any further attacks should result in seizing control of Iran's oil exports, specifically by seizing Kharg.
It's a strategic power play, although Kharg doesn't play a large role in the acute issue facing the US now, which is Iranian attacks on the Strait of Hormuz. Tactically, the islands directly in the strait would make better targets for seizure and control, such as Larak, the Abu Masa group (which the UAE claims is their territory anyway), and Qeshm. None of these would be easy to take, though, especially not Kharg, which is much farther north in the Persian Gulf and close to IRGC support. It would take a boots-on-the-ground operation such as in Grenada, with the added risk of constant fire from the Iranian mainland once the island is taken.
Will the American public support that kind of operation? Even Trump's not sure about that:
NOW: President Trump tells Fox & Friends his lifelong preference has been to "take Kharg Island" while warning he doesn't think "America has the STOMACH" for it. pic.twitter.com/fJ1eTfltRv
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) June 11, 2026
Color me skeptical as well. Trump has insisted that there would be no American "boots on the ground" in this war, setting up a political red line with the electorate and the part of the MAGA base that opposes foreign military entanglements. An operation to seize Kharg in March may have received more support, but two months of sitzkrieg while the IRGC stalls through Pakistan and Oman has frustrated an impatient American electorate. Trump may get a boost from renewed action now just from the change in the status quo, not to mention a show of determination after a long season of watching the Iranian regime play the US through these bad-faith "talks." A ground operation will also escalate tensions with Congress, a fight Trump can win, but at some political cost.
The Wall Street Journal senses this is still a negotiation, with bombs replacing sheets of paper:
Trump’s apparent decision to go all in on military pressure would mark his third shift in strategy toward Iran.
The war began in February with Israeli-led, U.S.-backed decapitation strikes and calls from both administrations for Iranians to overthrow the regime, in the hope that a new leadership would comply with Washington’s nuclear demands. Then, after a ceasefire in April, he pivoted to trying to squeeze Iran’s economy with sanctions and a blockade until it would have no choice but to dismantle its nuclear work and dispose of its enriched uranium.
Now, Trump is using a far blunter instrument: brute military power to force Iran into submission. But Iran, which has strong reservations about the terms offered by the U.S., may once again absorb the pressure instead of folding, which would see Trump wade deeper into a Middle East war without guarantees of success.
Trump has relied almost exclusively on airstrikes during the conflict, except for putting troops inside Iran to rescue a downed pilot. But the Kharg operation would likely be the riskiest of the war, now in its fourth month.
It's a high-risk move with potentially high returns, but with plenty of ways to go wrong in a hurry. Trump may be making this threat as part of his negotiating strategy, warning the Iranians that futher escalation will cost them dearly, and soon. Trump may be hoping to force a capitulation that may not come otherwise, even with a renewed bombing campaign ... but that doesn't mean he won't order that operation, either.
One thing's for sure, as Richard Engel points out for NBC:
It’s safe to say that the ceasefire is effectively dead and has now been replaced by negotiations under fire, because as Trump stressed in the Oval Office yesterday, he wants to pressure Iran into signing a deal.
But Iran is giving no indication that it wants to work this way and has insisted they will respond every time they are attacked. “Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” the country’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on X Tuesday.
The ceasefire was dead on arrival two months ago. We are now negotiating in the only language the IRGC understands. Let's hope that lesson sticks this time with Trump.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
Help us report the truth about the Trump administration's decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member