Trump rejects Kharg Island seizure plan, feared US losses: WSJ

US President Donald Trump declined a proposal to deploy American forces to seize Iran's Kharg Island, a critical energy export hub, amid concerns over potential US troop losses, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing administration officials and people familiar with internal discussions, Report informs via Iranian media.

The report says Trump instead leaned on aggressive and often provocative rhetoric aimed at pressuring Tehran into negotiations, while resisting direct military action that could expose US forces to what he viewed as unacceptable risks.

Kharg Island is a central node in Iran's oil export infrastructure and a strategically sensitive location in the Gulf.

Officials said Trump was particularly sensitive to scenarios involving US troop casualties, reportedly describing soldiers as potentially "easy targets" in such an operation.

The newspaper also reported that Trump's thinking was influenced by historical comparisons to past US crises, including the 1979 Iran hostage crisis under former President Jimmy Carter, which he has previously cited in conversations with advisers.

Rather than authorising ground operations, Trump allegedly favoured a strategy of psychological and rhetorical pressure, including statements officials described as deliberately inflammatory.

The Wall Street Journal noted that some of Trump's public messaging about Iran, including threats targeting its state structures, was not part of a formal security plan but intended to force political concessions.

One official was quoted as saying the approach was designed to "frighten" Iranian leadership into returning to talks.