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Why is Kharg Island so important to Iran and why has the US targeted it?

2026-03-14 17:59:31Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Why is Kharg Island so important to Iran and why has the US targeted it?

President Donald Trump has said the US military has bombed a small island off the coast of Iran, home to a major oil terminal considered the country's main economic lifeline.

The US president said that Kharg Island's military facilities had been "completely destroyed", but that the country had stopped targeting its oil infrastructure.

However, Trump warned that he would reconsider the decision not to target oil facilities on the island if Iran or others "do anything to interfere" with the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping lanes, located south of Iran's coast.

Iran's military said that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms working with the US would be "immediately destroyed" if Kharg's oil infrastructure was attacked.

Why is Kharg Island important to Iran?

Kharg Island is in a small area just 15 nautical miles off the coast of Iran.

Despite its size, it is one of the most critical parts of Iran's energy infrastructure.

US strikes on this small island are like striking Iran's economic lifeline.

Ninety percent of Iran's crude oil comes through a terminal on the island - transported via pipelines from the mainland.

Very large tankers, carrying up to 85 million gallons of oil, are able to come up to the island's long piers to collect the oil. The island's coast is quite close to deep water, unlike the shallower coast of the mainland.

Then, the tankers return through the Persian Gulf and exit the Strait of Hormuz, heading for China, the main buyer of Iranian oil.

A terminal for Iranian oil exports, the island provides a major source of revenue for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Why didn't the US target the island's oil facilities?

Military action to destroy the island's infrastructure would be extremely damaging to Iran.

This would also represent a significant escalation of the conflict.

This is likely to drive up global oil prices even further and could also lead to Iran targeting more oil infrastructure across the Middle East.

Two weeks after the start of the war, Iran still has the capacity to launch large numbers of low-cost, high-explosive drones toward its Gulf Arab neighbors, as well as naval vessels.

It could potentially expand these objectives to include vital infrastructure such as desalination plants that provide drinking water to millions of people.

Justin Crump, a military analyst and former British Army officer, said the bombing was an attempt by Trump to deter Iran from further escalating the conflict.

Trump previously stated that the purpose of the war was for the people of Iran to rise up and overthrow the Islamic Republic's regime.

While he has since expressed other motivations for the war, Crump said targeting the island's oil infrastructure was "difficult" as it would destroy the country's economic life for a long period of time.

Will the US try to invade the island?

There has been speculation as to whether US forces will at some point attempt to occupy Kharg Island.

The seizure would not only hinder Iran's oil exports, but could also provide a platform from which attacks against the continent could be carried out.

US media reports that amphibious ships carrying up to 5,000 sailors and marines are now being sent to the Persian Gulf, adding to this speculation.

Taking the island would effectively cut off the IRGC's economic lifeline, affecting its ability to wage war, says security analyst Mikey Kay, from the BBC's Security Brief.


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