The tiny island is once again at the centre of the news cycle thanks to Donald Trump’s latest comments (Photo by Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)
Donald Trump has threatened to obliterate Iran’s Kharg island if a deal isn’t reached ‘shortly’ between the two nations.
The US president told The Financial Times over the weekend that he was considering whether American forces could seize the island during the ongoing conflict.
However, this afternoon, Trump has gone further in his comments, and threatened to destroy it.
In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: ‘Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched.”’
But what exactly is Kharg Island? And where is it?
We unpack the mysterious islet at the centre of Trump’s mind.
The US President wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform that he was considering ‘blowing up and completely obliterating’ Iran’s power plants and oil wells (Credits: EPA)
What is Kharg Island?
Kharg Island is the primary terminal that handles Iran’s oil exports and is so small (five miles long and three miles wide) it’s smaller than the area of Westminster, in London.
It handles up to 90 per cent of Iran’s oil products and provides storage facilities for up to 30 million barrels of oil.
The US president has previously threatened to strike oil infrastructure on Kharg Island unless attacks on vessels on the Strait of Hormuz ceased.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the energy infrastructure of US allies in the Middle East will be ‘reduced to ashes’ if Iranian energy assets were attacked.
Iran’s Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil, has emerged as a focus of the month-old war launched by the United States and Israel (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
It said oil and energy assets of any countries cooperating with the US would be ‘immediately destroyed’ in the event of more attacks on the country’s energy sites.
In a social media post, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker for Iran’s Parliament, previously said the regime ‘will abandon all restraint’ if the islands come under attack and Trump will be responsible for ‘the blood of American soldiers’.
Oil prices have swung sharply on Trump’s changing comments about the likely duration of the war, which began on February 28.
It’s had huge consequences across the worldwide energy and stock markets, and economists are watching for any sign that US strikes had damaged the island’s intricate network of pipelines, terminals and storage tanks.
It handles up to 90 per cent of Iran’s oil products and provides storage facilities for up to 30 million barrels of oil (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Even minor disruptions could further tighten global supply, adding pressure to a volatile market. Experts have warned of a devastating economic impact across the world if the Iran war continues.
Where is Kharg Island?
It is located 16 miles off the coast of Iran and 300 miles northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.
It’s often referred to as the ‘Forbidden Island’ because it’s so remote from the mainland of Iran and its severe security in place.
Why is it so important?
It provides a major source of revenue for the IRGC, and, if it’s destroyed, it could have massive repercussions on Iran’s ability to conduct the war.
It also provides vital oil exports to other nations, such as China.
If Trump decided to strike the island, it would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf Arab infrastructure and further drive up oil prices.
According to Petras Katinas, research fellow in climate, energy and defence in the Europe office of the Royal United Services Institute, should Trump seize or destroy the island, it would have huge consequences for Iran.
A view of oil facilities on the Kharg island on the Persian Gulf about 1,250 km (776 miles) south of Tehran (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
‘Seizing the island would cut off Iran’s oil lifeline, which is crucial for the regime,’ he previously told The Telegraph. ‘Of course, with shipping via the Strait of Hormuz now stopped, they cannot sell oil anyway, but looking ahead, seizure would give the US leverage during negotiations, no matter which regime is in power after the military operation ends.’
A U.S. occupation of the island would put also put American troops in a stationary position just 21 miles (33 kilometers) off Iran’s coast, well within range of its arsenal of drones and missiles.
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