As US President Donald Trump endeavors to form an international coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing escalation in the Middle East, the US administration is considering the seizure of Iran’s oil infrastructure on Kharg Island if disruption to tanker traffic continues. This scenario could require the deployment of US forces on the ground. So, will the island ignite the region?
This comes as America continues to carry out strikes against targets inside Iran, focusing on coastal areas in the Arabian Gulf and Kharg Island, which is a key terminal for processing most of Iran’s crude oil exports. Trump had announced that he had ordered the targeting of military facilities on the island while avoiding oil facilities, leaving open the possibility of additional strikes.
A White House official said that Trump had not made a decision regarding Kharg Island, but indicated that the situation could change if the crisis in the Strait continues, stressing that the administration does not intend to allow Iran to dictate the pace of the conflict.
Iranians call Kharg Island the “forbidden island” due to the strict security restrictions imposed on it, while internationally it is known as “Iran’s economic lifeline.” The island is located northeast of the Arabian Gulf, a few miles from the shores of mainland Iran, adjacent to the city of Bushehr, known for its nuclear reactor. It occupies a highly sensitive strategic position for Tehran, as it represents a vital economic artery for the Islamic Republic and the nerve center of its crude exports, on which the national economy depends almost entirely, especially in light of the suffocating siege resulting from international sanctions.
Today, through this small island, Iran exports more than 90% of its oil to global markets via more than eight deep-sea ports capable of receiving the world’s largest oil tankers. Equipped with giant oil tanks, military bases, an airport, ports, and industrial and military facilities, Kharg Island has become the central hub of the Iranian energy system and a focal point in the economic and political equation within Tehran, which has been under a theocratic doctrine since 1979.
In contrast, this island of exceptional importance reveals a remarkable paradox: while Iran possesses significant military capabilities and broad regional influence, its vital economy remains decisively tied to a small island measuring no more than 22 square kilometers, making it a highly sensitive point that simultaneously reflects the fragility of Iran’s economic structure and the nature of its political system.
While the war has escalated and its scope has widened, and as Iran has retaliated by targeting neighboring Gulf states and threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian oil exports have declined from 10 million barrels per day before the war to approximately 1.6 million barrels per day now. This has had a direct impact on global energy markets, with oil prices rising by more than $10 per barrel and supply disruptions causing crises in numerous oil-importing countries.
Given these facts, international observers warn that any large-scale military attack targeting infrastructure on Kharg Island could lead to a sharp jump in oil prices and wider disruption in global markets, given its pivotal role in the flow of Iranian crude exports to major countries in the world, including China.
But as the war continues into its third week, several pressing questions arise: What is the true significance of Kharg Island? Does it really represent the umbilical cord of the Iranian economy? Why did the American strikes spare the island’s infrastructure? Above all, why did US President Donald Trump choose not to target the island’s oil facilities, as he wrote on Truth Social, “I chose not to destroy the oil infrastructure on the island”?
Does this mean that the United States and Israel do not intend, as of yet, to target the island directly, despite their awareness that striking it could deliver a severe blow to the heart of the Iranian energy system and potentially lead to the downfall of the Iranian regime?
