The attack came two years after Evans sent a letter to President Trump, who at the time was between presidencies, calling on him to leverage his support within the Republican Party to push for a strike on the island

America’s attack on Kharg Island is a warning by US President Donald Trump to the Iranian regime that “I have the key to the bank, and I can blow the bank up, and it’s over,” according to Dr. Mike Evans, one of the president’s closest evangelical faith advisers and the founder of Jerusalem’s Friends of Zion Museum.

The strike came as tensions between Washington, Jerusalem, and Tehran continue to escalate, with Iran threatening global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Israel engaged in an expanding regional confrontation, including Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

The attack also came two years after Evans sent a letter to President Trump, who at the time was between presidencies, calling on him to leverage his support within the Republican Party to push for a strike on the island. Evans later read from the letter at a January 2024 event at his museum.

I have the key to the bank, and I can blow the bank up, and it’s over

“I humbly ask you to use your power and platform to mobilize the Republican Party and the American people to support the bombing of Kharg Island,” Evans said at the event, which was sponsored by the Government Press Office (GPO). “Ninety percent of Iran’s crude oil is deposited on that tiny island.”

He added that the island “is only eight kilometers long and four kilometers wide and located in the Persian Gulf. It’s the perfect target.”

At the time, Evans received strong pushback from local media.

Evans explained in an exclusive interview with The Media Line on Saturday that Kharg Island represents the financial lifeline of the Iranian regime.

Kharg Island serves as Iran’s primary oil export terminal, handling the vast majority of the country’s crude shipments to global markets. The revenue generated from those exports helps fund the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Tehran’s network of regional proxies, including Hezbollah and other militant groups.

Evans said, “Kharg is the bank. It is the cash that pays the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and the proxies. If Iran cannot process and export its oil, it will be bankrupt. And if the guards are not paid, they will not continue supporting the regime.”

Such economic collapse could ultimately empower the Iranian people to overthrow the leadership, he added.

“Once the oil is destroyed, the country is bankrupt,” Evans said. “Cash determines who the terrorists fight for. The terrorists will fight for anyone if they are paid enough. It’s exactly what I said at the GPO summit.”

Once the oil is destroyed, the country is bankrupt. Cash determines who the terrorists fight for. The terrorists will fight for anyone if they are paid enough.

The United States struck Kharg Island last Friday but deliberately avoided damaging Iran’s oil infrastructure, the US confirmed. President Trump said the operation destroyed “every MILITARY target” on the island. Reports indicated that around 90 military targets were hit.

Video shared by US Central Command showed the island’s runway cratered following the strike.

The strike was intended to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely been closed to oil exports except for Iran’s own shipments. Iran responded by warning that if the United States targeted its energy infrastructure, the infrastructure of all countries cooperating with Washington would be “immediately destroyed.”

I believe what Trump has just done is send a signal to Iran: ‘You better surrender or I’m going to hit you harder than you can imagine and bankrupt your country.’

“This island is key to everything,” Evans said. “I believe what Trump has just done is send a signal to Iran: ‘You better surrender or I’m going to hit you harder than you can imagine and bankrupt your country.’ The moment that happens, the Iranian people will take over the country.”

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