Kharg Island: Why Trump has his sights on Iran’s tiny oil hub in the Persian Gulf

Kharg Island: Strategic Importance to Iran’s Oil Exports in the Persian Gulf Conflict

Six months into the conflict between the United States and Iran, President Donald Trump posted a video on Truth Social depicting explosions at oil facilities on an Iranian island. The post described the site as “blow to smithereens.” Administration officials subsequently stated that the video was generated by artificial intelligence and did not depict actual events.

The United States has conducted strikes on targets at Kharg Island. Vice President JD Vance stated in April that military targets on the island had been struck. President Trump has previously referred to the island’s strategic value and indicated that seizure by US forces remained an option under certain conditions.

Kharg Island lies approximately 16 miles off the Iranian coast in the northern Persian Gulf. The island covers less than eight square miles and has a resident population of roughly 8,000. It is situated northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities have placed additional surface-to-air missiles on the island and deployed anti-personnel and anti-armour mines in surrounding waters, according to reporting that cited people familiar with US intelligence assessments.

Iran routes approximately 90 percent of its crude oil exports through terminals on Kharg Island. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been restricted since the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps assumed control of the waterway earlier in the year. Oil prices have risen above 100 dollars per barrel since the start of the conflict, with Iranian statements indicating the possibility of further increases.

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin wrote in January for the American Enterprise Institute that control of the island would prevent Iranian authorities from using oil revenue to pay government salaries and military personnel. Rubin noted that any Iranian missile response against the island would further interrupt exports for an extended period.

In March, Axios reported that US administration officials had discussed the possibility of seizing the island. Analysts have identified logistical requirements for such an operation. Former US Central Command commander Joseph Votel stated in June that an initial force of 800 to 1,000 troops could occupy the island but would require protected supply lines. Votel described the action as presenting significant vulnerabilities for occupying forces and questioned whether it would yield lasting tactical advantage, while acknowledging that US forces could carry out the operation if directed.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has stated that any attempt to occupy the island would encounter missile and drone attacks. Gulf officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters, conveyed concerns that ground operations on Iranian territory could prompt Iranian retaliation against energy and civilian infrastructure in the region.

President Trump stated that US strikes conducted in mid-March had targeted Iranian military positions on the island while leaving oil infrastructure intact. The island was previously struck by Iraqi forces in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq war, an action that contributed to the tanker war phase of that conflict.

In 1988, during an interview with The Guardian while promoting his book The Art of the Deal, Trump commented on Iran and referenced Kharg Island as a potential target in response to attacks on US personnel or vessels.

Oil analyst Tamas Varga stated to CNBC in March that seizure of the island would remove a major source of revenue for Iranian authorities, drawing a comparison to earlier US actions regarding Venezuela’s oil sector. Neil Quilliam of Chatham House told The Independent that an occupation would likely disrupt global oil markets and create a prolonged standoff in which the United States controlled the export terminal while Iranian authorities retained control of production facilities. Quilliam noted that previous US administrations had avoided operations against the island due to its role in global oil supply.

The island’s terminals handle the majority of Iranian crude exports, which in turn account for nearly 40 percent of government revenue. Satellite imagery has documented the layout of the oil terminal facilities. Iranian military vessels have been observed patrolling waters adjacent to the island.

Discussions of potential US action against Kharg Island have occurred alongside broader military operations in the conflict. Analysts have outlined both the short-term feasibility of an assault and the extended requirements for sustaining any occupation, including protection of supply routes and exposure to Iranian missile and drone capabilities.