'I’d Do A Number On Kharg Island': Trump's 1988 Interview Resurfaces After US Strikes

Last Updated:March 14, 2026, 20:14 IST

As the Iran war hits day 15, a 1988 Trump interview promising to be "harsh on Iran" resurfaces. After US strikes, Iran attacked the US embassy in Baghdad.

As the Iran war enters into 15th day, an interview from 1988 has resurfaced of Donald Trump promising to be “harsh on Iran".

In the interview with The Guardian, Trump, when he was a New York businessman, pointed out that Washington must take a tougher line against Iran and respond forcefully to actions in the Persian Gulf. He was referring to the Iran-Iraq war which ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire on August 20, 1988.

“It’d be harsh on Iran. They’ve been beating us psychologically, making us look like a bunch of fools," Trump said. “One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it."

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“Iran can’t even beat Iraq, yet they push the United States around," he said. “It’d be good for the world to take them on."

The interview has resurfaced after the White House shared a snippet of the interview after US military strikes on Kharg Island, Iran’s main terminal for oil exports.

Also Read: Trump Says US ‘Obliterated Every Military Target’ On Iran’s Kharg Island, Warns Oil Facilities Could Be Next

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt circulated the excerpt, saying, “President Trump has been remarkably consistent his entire life on Iran. Anyone who says otherwise has not been paying attention."

Trump said on Saturday that the United States carried out “the most powerful bombing raid" in the Middle East on Iran’s Kharg Island. He claimed American forces “totally obliterated" all military targets while deliberately sparing the island’s oil infrastructure.

Trump emphasised that the US chose not to damage the oil facilities for reasons of “decency," but warned that any interference with the free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz would change that decision.

Trump announced the operation in a Truth Social post late Friday (US local time). He wrote, “Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island."

In response to the attack on Kharg Island, Iran on Saturday launched an attack on the US embassy in Baghdad.

According to AFP, a cloud of black smoke rose above the US diplomatic mission shortly after the sound of explosions on Saturday morning. Two security officials were quoted saying that the embassy complex was struck by a drone.

This was the second time the US embassy in Baghdad was attacked since the start of the war.

The US strikes come as US military sending 2,500 Marines and an amphibious assault ship to the Middle East, according to a US official. This deployment comes after nearly two weeks of conflict with Iran, marking a significant reinforcement of American forces in the region.

News world 'I’d Do A Number On Kharg Island': Trump's 1988 Interview Resurfaces After US Strikes

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