President Donald Trump explicitly stated his intention to take control of Iranian oil on April 6th, asserting that "the Iranian people want to hear the sound of bombs because they desire freedom." Speaking to reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll event, Trump declared, "If it were entirely up to me, I would take the oil. Secure it firmly and generate massive wealth from it." He further claimed without basis that the Iranian populace would feel "uneasy" if they did not hear explosions.
The previous day, in a media interview, Trump warned that if Iran does not swiftly reach an agreement with the United States, he would order the destruction of everything and "take over the oil." Later on the 6th, at a White House press briefing, he threatened that the U.S. military could demolish all of Iran's bridges and power stations in just "four hours." When questioned whether such airstrikes would punish the Iranian people, Trump falsely asserted, "They are willing... they are prepared to endure this suffering."
Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran reported on April 4th that during a U.S. military operation on the 3rd to rescue pilots from a downed fighter jet, tribal forces from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province independently acted, effectively engaging two U.S. search-and-rescue helicopters in remote mountainous areas far from Iranian military deployments. On April 5th, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley acknowledged that the U.S. helicopters had come under heavy fire, sustaining bullet impacts and resulting in minor injuries to the crew members.
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