Financial Times
Global business newspaper that published Trump's Kharg Island oil declaration.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did Trump tell a British newspaper he wants to seize Iran's oil?
Latest on Financial Times
- What is the Financial Times?
- The Financial Times is a London-based international business newspaper founded in 1888. It is owned by the Japanese media group Nikkei, which acquired it from Pearson in 2015 for £844 million. It has roughly three million digital subscribers worldwide.Source: FT
- What did Trump tell the Financial Times about Iran?
- In an interview published on 30 March 2026, Trump told the FT that seizing Iranian oil was his "favourite thing" and specifically named Kharg Island, the terminal handling roughly 90 per cent of Iranian crude exports. He also claimed Tehran had accepted most of a US 15-point framework.Source: Financial Times
- Why did Trump give an interview to the Financial Times?
- Trump chose the FT — which has a predominantly international readership of investors, policymakers, and foreign governments — to signal his Iran oil ambitions to global energy markets and foreign capitals. The interview ran on the same day as a failed diplomatic summit in Islamabad.Source: Financial Times
- What is the difference between the Financial Times and Bloomberg?
- Both cover global financial news, but the FT is a newspaper with editorial journalism and opinion, while Bloomberg is primarily a data and terminal service. The FT is independently edited and based in London; Bloomberg is US-based and revenue-driven by its terminal subscriptions.
Background
Founded in 1888 in London, the FT is owned by Nikkei, which acquired it from Pearson in 2015 for £844 million. It publishes in English, focuses on global business and economic policy, and reaches roughly three million digital subscribers worldwide, making it one of the most-cited financial newspapers globally.
The Financial Times became a primary source in the Iran crisis when Donald Trump granted it an interview on 30 March 2026, stating that seizing Iranian oil was his "favourite thing" and naming Kharg Island, the terminal handling roughly 90 per cent of Iranian crude exports. Trump simultaneously claimed Tehran had accepted "most of" a US 15-point framework and acknowledged that killing Iran's leaders constitutes regime change, contradicting weeks of denials.
That Trump chose the FT, with its heavily international readership of investors and policymakers, signals the message was aimed at global energy markets rather than a domestic US audience. The interview landed the same day as a multilateral summit in Islamabad ended without a communiqué, deepening uncertainty about whether a deal or escalation lay ahead.
