Trump posts on Truth Social: 'Open the Hormuz Strait, Take the Oil, Make a Fortune'

US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on April 3 at 14:28 CEST: 'With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A "GUSHER" FOR THE WORLD???' The statement is a material departure from earlier framing of the Iran war in purely security terms. Trump is now explicitly suggesting the US intends to extract economic value from Iranian oil resources as a war aim, alongside the stated goal of preventing Iranian nuclear weapons. The post came hours after Trump warned in his prime-time address that the US military 'hasn't even started' destroying Iran's infrastructure, and as the UK is leading 40-nation talks on Hormuz reopening — without US participation. Legal experts and international observers immediately flagged the statement. Amnesty International noted that threatening civilian infrastructure — power plants, energy facilities — is generally prohibited under international humanitarian law and could constitute war crimes. Iran's President Pezeshkian called the earlier 'stone age' threat an admission of intent to commit a 'massive war crime'.