[U.S. Officials: U.S. Government Discussed Seizing Kharg Island] According to a report by Jinse Finance on March 29, in recent days, the Trump administration has been wavering between declaring that the war is nearing its end and threatening to escalate the scale of the conflict. The White House press secretary previously warned that if Iran does not abandon its nuclear ambitions and cease its threats against the U.S. and its allies, Trump is "prepared to launch devastating strikes" against it. According to officials, over the past month, internal discussions within the Trump administration have involved the possibility of seizing Kharg Island (a key Iranian oil export hub in the Persian Gulf) and raiding other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to search for and destroy weapons that could be used to attack merchant ships and warships. One individual stated that the targets under consideration could take "weeks rather than months" to accomplish. Another individual suggested that the potential timeline might be "a few months." (The Washington Post)