US President Donald Trump has said he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island, as the US sends thousands of troops to the Middle East.

Trump made the comments in an interview with the Financial Times.

The US president told the FT in an interview on Sunday that his “preference would be to take the oil”, comparing the potential move to Venezuela where the US intends to control the oil industry “indefinitely” following its capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January.

Trump said: “To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.”

Trump has been beefing up US forces in the region, with the Pentagon ordering the deployment of 10,000 troops trained to seize and hold land. About 3,500 troops arrived in the region on Friday, including roughly 2,200 Marines. Another 2,200 Marines are en route, while thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division have also been ordered to the region, according to the report.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the FT.

 “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while.” Asked about the state of Iranian defence on Kharg Island he said: “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”

The US-Israeli war against Iran has thrust the Middle East into crisis and sent the price of oil surging by more than 50 per cent in a month. Brent crude rose above $116 a barrel on Monday morning in Asia, near its highest level since the conflict began, according to FT.

However, despite his threats to seize Iranian oil production, Trump stressed that indirect talks between the US and Iran via Pakistani “emissaries” were progressing well. Trump has set a deadline of April 6 for Iran to accept a deal ending the war or face US strikes on its energy sector. When asked whether a ceasefire deal could be reached in the coming days that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil usually flows, Trump declined to offer specific details. “We’ve got about 3,000 targets left — we’ve bombed 13,000 targets — and another couple of thousand targets to go,” he said. “A deal could be made fairly quickly.” Last week, he said that Iran had permitted 10 Pakistan-flagged oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a “present” to the White House. The number of tankers had now been doubled to 20, he told the FT.

 “They gave us 10,” he said. “Now they’re giving 20 and the 20 have already started and they’re going right up the middle of the Strait.” Trump added that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and one of the country’s top wartime leaders, had authorised the additional tankers. “He’s the one who authorised the ships to me,” Trump said. “Remember I said they’re giving me a present? And everyone said: ‘What’s the present? Bullshit.’ When they heard about that they kept their mouth shut and the negotiations are going very well.”

Trump also claimed that Iran had already had “regime change” after Iran’s longtime supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many other senior officials were killed at the start of the war and in strikes that followed. “The people we’re dealing with are a totally different group of people . . . [They] are very professional,” Trump said.

Trump also reiterated his claims that Mojtaba Khameini, Khamenei’s son and Iran’s new supreme leader, could be either dead or severely injured.

Ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be subject to a toll under the new law that the Iranian Parliament will adopt soon, said a member of the Iranian parliament’s Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security Alaeddin Boroujerdi, according to TASS news agency.

“We have complete control over the Strait of Hormuz. A new system will govern this waterway soon once a bill is adopted by the Majlis [parliament]. Security and services for ships will be ensured through fees [for passage through the strait] stipulated by the bill,” he said in an interview with Iranian media, according to TASS.

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posed a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East. Iranian authorities also decided to close the Strait of Hormuz to vessels linked to the U.S., Israel, and countries that supported the attacks. During the conflict, several tankers were attacked for transiting the strait without Tehran’s permission. On March 25, Iran announced that it had allowed its friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US-Israeli war against Iran has thrust the Middle East into crisis and sent the price of oil surging by more than 50 per cent in a month. Brent crude rose above $116 a barrel on Monday morning in Asia, near its highest level since the conflict began, according to FT. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has denied U.S. and Israeli accusations that Iran is using cluster munitions. 

‘Statements about the use of cluster bombs by Iran are false,’ Baghaei said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation in the Middle East with the foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf countries via video conference, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the participants held an in-depth exchange of views on the unprecedented escalation of the military and political situation in the Gulf region, which has been ongoing for more than a month.

Lavrov reiterated Russia’s unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the friendly Arab monarchies, relations with which are of a strategic nature.

“The unacceptability of embroiling these countries in a war and attacking their civilian infrastructure, including energy and other vital facilities, was emphasised,” the statement reads.

“Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Russia’s firm commitment to maintaining close coordination with its Arab partners, including at the UN, with a view to facilitating an early ceasefire and preventing the widening of the conflict,” it reads.

Civil Contract party members have officially chosen Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as the party’s candidate for prime minister in the upcoming election.

Pashinyan said in a statement on social media that his Civil Contract party held two rounds of internal voting, and the results have been finalized. He added that no appeals against the voting results were submitted within the defined timeframe.

“I would like to thank all members of the Counting Committee, led by its chairman, Hakob Arshakyan, for organizing both rounds of the secret ballot at a high level and in an essentially flawless manner. I thank all my fellow party members for once again expressing their confidence in me and for granting me the honor of leading the Civil Contract party’s electoral list and being its candidate for prime minister. I thank the Civil Contract Board for remaining faithful to the party’s political traditions and for setting a new political standard in the Republic of Armenia. I love you all,” Pashinyan said.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on June 7.

The ruling Civil Contract party determined its list of candidates through a two-round internal election process.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday accused the main opposition forces of “cynical lies” and branded them as ‘war parties’.

In a video posted on social media, Pashinyan dismissed the claims of former President Robert Kocharyan, Strong Armenia party leader, tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, and business magnate and Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan that Armenia had peace even before Pashinyan took power in 2018, and before the initialing of the August 8 peace deal.

Pashinyan said that, since August 8, 2025, Armenia has, for the first time since gaining independence, achieved de jure peace with Azerbaijan.

“The tripartite war party of Kocharyan-Karapetyan-Tsarukyan is trying to convince people that before 2024–2025, and even before 2018, we had peace.

Of course, this claim is a cynical lie, even considering the simple fact that since independence—and even after the 1994 ceasefire—we have had casualties and injuries every year as a result of exchanges of fire with Azerbaijan. Moreover, the casualties number in the hundreds, and the number of wounded is significantly higher. Perhaps this is their notion of peace: that we continue to have casualties every year. Our understanding, on the other hand, is the opposite: peace means the absence of deaths and injuries; peace means the complete absence of any tension.

In the preceding period, one could say we had daily exchanges of fire, with periodic sniper battles and minor sniper conflicts. But it is also very important to note what this situation meant in relation to a major war and what it implied. What I mean is that in the preceding period we never truly had peace; rather, we had a postponement of war,” Pashinyan elaborated.

He added that it is also important to note how and at what cost the postponement of war occurred.

“That, in essence, also came at a cost, which we have paid. And for the postponement of war, we have paid with Armenia’s independence, sovereignty, statehood, the well-being of its citizens, and economic development. It should also be noted that this ‘payment method’ had already been exhausted by 2016, when the four-day war occurred. Not only did the four-day war take place, but an entirely different logic was placed on the negotiating table, which completely undermined all Armenian conceptions regarding the resolution of the Karabakh issue.

Those who attempt to dispute this claim, I will refer to the already published and widely known letter of Serzh Sargsyan from August 2016,” said the Prime Minister.

According to Pashinyan, his statement that there was never peace in the previous period, whereas peace is now established, is justified by the fact that 2025 is the first calendar year in which Armenia has had no casualties or injuries as a result of exchanges of fire with Azerbaijan.

“In practice, we have not had any casualties or injuries since February 2024. In other words, the last such incident occurred at the beginning of 2024,” he noted.

The Prime Minister of Armenia emphasized that the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not yet signed, but only initialed, yet he added that the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan already has de jure recognition.

“The de jure confirmation in 2024 is the adoption of the regulation on joint activities of the border delimitation commissions of the two countries, which, once adopted, was ratified through the respective procedures in both countries, thereby acquiring the highest legal force. It is in this document that the Alma-Ata Declaration is recorded as the fundamental principle for border delimitation between the two countries. And this has de jure supreme significance in both countries.

This means that Armenia and Azerbaijan have mutually recognized, through a de jure legally binding document, that independent Armenia is identical in its territory to Soviet Armenia, and independent Azerbaijan is identical in its territory to Soviet Azerbaijan. This is the foundation of peace, and it carries the highest legal force in both countries.

Deviating from this logic—the direction in which the tripartite war party of Kocharyan-Karapetyan-Tsarukyan is taking – unequivocally and indisputably means war, with all its consequences,” emphasized Nikol Pashinyan.

According to Pashinyan, his administration has achieved not merely a postponement of war, but peace—at the cost of many casualties and sacrifices.

“Our respect goes to all our fallen brothers… we have achieved peace, and a free, democratic, developing, prosperous, and sovereign Armenia is the highest way to honor their memory. We cannot give a greater recognition to their sacrifices. Thus, peace today is already de jure established, and the citizens of the Republic of Armenia must uphold the peace, because this is their peace, their created peace, achieved through the efforts of the government they elected. The government has treated the establishment of peace as a priority—remaining faithful to the mandate given by the people in the 2021 snap parliamentary elections, listening to the word of the people, and implementing it.

And now the time has come—the time is June 7, 2026—for the citizens of the Republic of Armenia to uphold their peace. I can sincerely say—I have no doubt—that the citizens of Armenia will uphold peace,” concluded Pashinyan.

Tax policy reforms were discussed under the leadership of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.

According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s office, a consultation was held during which work on procedural reforms in tax policy was discussed.

Pashinyan noted that the consultation followed a recent Government session that addressed the revision of criminal liability thresholds for acts considered as tax evasion.

It was concluded that the proposed draft amendments require further improvement, and the Prime Minister instructed that additional work be carried out in this direction.

Chairman of the State Revenue Committee, Eduard Hakobyan, presented the results of the analyses, outlining proposed new procedures and steps aimed at developing the tax sector. He also referred to efforts to transform the institution of a law-abiding taxpayer.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has lauded neighboring Armenia for its humanitarian support.

Araghchi posted a statement in Armenian on X.

“The support of the Armenian government and people to the Iranian people in the transfer of Iranian nationals and in providing humanitarian assistance deserves high appreciation. The centuries-old ties between Iran and Armenia have once again demonstrated their strength in difficult times, and these brotherly steps will remain in the memory of the Iranian people,” he said.

Armenia sent humanitarian aid, mainly in the form of medicines, to Iran last week.

From March 31 to April 2, Strasbourg, France, will host the landmark 50th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

This session marks a pivotal moment for European local self-government, as it inaugurates a new five-year mandate for national delegations. The Republic of Armenia will participate with its renewed delegation, ready to engage in this high-level democratic process, the Communities Association of Armenia said in a press release.

The newly appointed Armenian delegation, comprised of local community representatives, will have the opportunity to participate in the election of the Congress’s new leadership and advocate for Armenia’s interests within this vital European platform.

Key Agenda Highlights

The 50th Session will focus on the grave challenges currently facing modern democracy:

Local Democracy in Crisis: Special attention will be given to the reconstruction of Ukraine and the critical role of local authorities in overcoming the consequences of the war.

Safety and Protection: The agenda includes a debate on the rising instances of violence against elected local officials and international strategies to ensure their protection.

Regional Developments: Members will discuss the state of local democracy in Georgia, alongside the results of election observation missions in several European countries.

New Technologies and Social Rights: The impact of Artificial Intelligence on local governance and the provision of social rights under pressure will be key thematic areas.

High-Level Discussions

The session will feature addresses by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; Mattias Guyomar, President of the European Court of Human Rights; and various government ministers and mayors from across Europe.

The Communities Association of Armenia (CAA), as the coordinator of the Armenian delegation’s activities, will closely monitor the session proceedings. The Association will provide regular updates on the activities of Armenian delegates, their interventions, and the key decisions adopted during the session.