Why Kharg Island matters to Iran, and why the U.S. is targeting it
Infographic with satellite images of the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, and Kharg island, a vital hub for Iran's crude oil exports targeted by US airstrikes on March 14 (Graphic by Omar KAMAL and Gal ROMA / AFP via Getty Images)
While the Strait of Hormuz has played a key role in the conflict with Iran, a small island hundreds of miles deeper into the Persian Gulf has emerged as one of the most high-profile potential targets for the United States.
Why Kharg Island is so important
About 400 miles north of the Strait of Hormuz sits Kharg Island. At just eight square miles, the island is smaller than Manhattan, but it plays a massive role for Iran’s oil industry. Known as the "Forbidden Island," Kharg Island has served as Iran’s main oil export hub for over decades and approximately 90 percent of the country’s crude oil exports go through it, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) explained.
Just 16 miles off the Iranian coast, the island offers a high-capacity terminal where supertankers that are unable to reach the Iranian mainland to dock, CFR stated, while noting a 1984 CIA document that called Kharg Island "the most vital in Iran’s oil system."
Why you should care:
In the run up to President Donald Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. warcraft had targeted the island with overnight strikes. A White House official not authorized to speak publicly told the Associated Press about the strikes.
RELATED: What to know about the Strait of Hormuz—and why it matters
The U.S. has previously targeted several sites on the island, including air defenses, a radar site, an airport and a hovercraft base, according to satellite analysis by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project. In a statement last week, Trump threatened to "blow up and completely obliterat[e]" the island, as well as electric plants, oil wells, and desalination plants.
Satellite view of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. (Photo by Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)
Iran prepares for U.S. strikes
Iran’s leaders are anticipating a possible move by U.S. forces and have been preparing for an attack for weeks, CNN reported, citing multiple people familiar with U.S. intelligence. The nation has been moving military personnel to the island, laying traps, and adding surface-to-air guidance systems.
Dig deeper:
Security analyst Mikey Kay told the BBC that taking the island would do major damage to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ ability to continue the war by cutting off one of its most important resources.
By holding the island, the U.S. would gain a powerful bargaining chip as it tries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the British news agency added. CNN quoted Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid saying last month that the destruction of the terminal on the island would "cripple Iran’s economy and topple the regime."
The Source: nformation for this article was taken from the Council on Foreign Relations, the BBC, and CNN. This story was reported from Orlando.