--- title: "Trump's plan to bomb Hark Island: Oil prices will soar to $200 next week, providing a price-cutting window for the midterm elections?" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/279108381.md" description: "The U.S. military strike on Iran's Khark Island is seen as a strategic choice under economic pressure. Analyst Jim Bianco pointed out that this action aims to prevent oil prices from spiraling out of control, which could lead to a global economic crisis. Trump's remarks suggest that if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, oil facilities will become the next target. This move may create a time window for oil prices to fall before the U.S. midterm elections" datetime: "2026-03-14T03:40:44.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/279108381.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/279108381.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/279108381.md) --- > Supported Languages: [简体中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/279108381.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/279108381.md) # Trump's plan to bomb Hark Island: Oil prices will soar to $200 next week, providing a price-cutting window for the midterm elections? The U.S. military struck military facilities on Iran's Hark Island. According to veteran macro strategist Jim Bianco on Wall Street, this action is not reckless but rather a "no choice" strategic gamble under the dual pressures of time and economic constraints. According to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. President Trump stated on social media on the evening of the 13th that the U.S. military had launched "intense airstrikes" on military targets at Hark Island, a hub for Iranian oil exports. Bianco analyzed that U.S. government and military planners judged that reopening the Strait of Hormuz through conventional military means could take weeks or even months, during which an uncontrolled rise in oil prices could suffocate the global economy. This judgment prompted Washington to choose to directly strike military facilities on Hark Island to send a strong signal to Iran. Bianco characterized this action as a "Hail Mary pass"—borrowing a term from football, meaning a high-risk long pass thrown at the last moment of a game. The core logic is that the global oil market and world economy cannot withstand weeks to months of uncertainty, thus necessitating a high-intensity immediate action to force Iran to comply quickly. In Bianco's framework, the political considerations of the timing of the action cannot be ignored. He suggested that there may be a scenario among political advisors—if oil prices are destined to surge to $200 without any action, it might be better to let them peak in the near term to allow for about six months of a decline window before the U.S. midterm elections. Bianco explicitly opposes the path of "declaring victory and withdrawing" (TACO), arguing that this is actually a worse choice than maintaining the current action. His reasoning points directly to structural risks: if the U.S. chooses to withdraw without resolving the Strait of Hormuz issue, Iran would effectively gain lasting control over the global energy lifeline, thereby possessing the ability to long-term punish the global economy with oil prices of $200 per barrel. Notably, reports indicate that this strike deliberately avoided the island's oil infrastructure, while Trump clearly warned that if Iran does not open the strait for passage, the oil facilities will become the next target. The news was announced on Friday evening local time. Bianco pointed out that the timing of this announcement was deliberately arranged to provide the market with about 48 hours of buffer to digest the information, in order to avoid triggering immediate panic fluctuations in the oil market ### Related Stocks - [The Energy Select Sector SPDR® ETF (XLE.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XLE.US.md) - [iShares US Oil & Gas Explor & Prod ETF (IEO.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IEO.US.md) - [iShares Global Energy ETF (IXC.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IXC.US.md) - [United States Brent Oil (BNO.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/BNO.US.md) - [VanEck Oil Services ETF (OIH.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OIH.US.md) - [SttStrtSPDRS&POil&GasExplor&ProdtnETF (XOP.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XOP.US.md) - [Invesco DB Oil (DBO.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DBO.US.md) - [United States Oil (USO.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/USO.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [LIVE MARKETS-Oil shock could add fresh strain to vulnerable US economy, Wells Fargo warns](https://longbridge.com/en/news/278590941.md) - [Turkish-owned ship allowed to pass through Strait of Hormuz, minister says](https://longbridge.com/en/news/279018196.md) - [UK finance minister Reeves to update on economic response to Iran crisis later on Monday](https://longbridge.com/en/news/278392766.md) - [Asia Naphtha/Gasoline-Naphtha prices rebound, in line with Brent crude](https://longbridge.com/en/news/278705138.md) - [G7 energy ministers to discuss oil price stability on Tuesday- Dombrovskis](https://longbridge.com/en/news/278438240.md)