Donald Trump floated the idea that the United States could help reconstruct Iranian infrastructure if military action destroys it, with one notable condition: the US would take half of Iran’s oil in return.

The comments, made during an ABC News interview on June 9, 2026, represent one of the more unusual foreign policy proposals in recent memory.

Trump estimated that rebuilding Iran’s infrastructure could cost over $1 trillion. He drew a comparison to the Marshall Plan, the massive US-funded effort to rebuild Western Europe after World War II.

The four-hour threat and the century-long rebuild

Back in April 2026, Trump claimed the US military could destroy Iranian bridges and power plants within four hours if necessary.

Trump estimated that without American expertise, Iran could take between 20 and 100 years to fully rebuild destroyed infrastructure.

Iran has put forward ceasefire proposals that include demands for infrastructure reconstruction and sanctions relief. Trump dismissed those proposals as “not good enough.”

Why crypto markets are paying attention

Bitcoin saw a 5% increase in early June 2026, a move tied to Iran-related negotiations and the market speculation surrounding them.

The Marshall Plan comparison doesn’t quite work

The original Marshall Plan, launched in 1948, saw the US invest roughly $13 billion (around $170 billion in today’s dollars) to rebuild European economies after World War II.

The “half of Iran’s oil” component also raises questions about how such an arrangement would function practically. Iran’s oil output, its pricing, and its distribution are enmeshed in a complex web of international agreements, OPEC dynamics, and existing sanctions. Redirecting half of a nation’s oil production to a single country would be unprecedented in modern energy markets.

What this means for investors

The 5% Bitcoin price move in early June demonstrates that the market is actively pricing in the probability of various outcomes in US-Iran tensions. Bitcoin sometimes trades as a risk asset (selling off with equities) and sometimes as a safe haven (rallying when traditional markets wobble).