Why is Kharg Island important? What you need to know about the Iranian island hit by the US
President Trump said the US military had “completely destroyed” all military targets on Kharg Island during massive strikes on Friday, putting the tiny island in the international spotlight. The war in Iran it continues.
Just 20 kilometers off Iran's northern Gulf coast, Kharg Island is Iran's oil export hub and the main focus of Mr. Trump plans to use it to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and safe.
Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine said Thursday that precision strikes were carried out against more than 90 targets on Kharg Island. The strikes “included all military infrastructure, including air defenses, naval bases, mine storage facilities and shipping facilities,” Caine said.
The president said US forces avoided the island's oil shipping infrastructure, but warned Iran that if it “does anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships in the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately review this decision.”
Here's what you need to know about the heavily fortified island and why it's strategically important.
What is Kharg Island?
Kharg Island lies about 20 kilometers off Iran's northern Gulf coast. For decades, it has served as Iran's main oil export hub, historically handling 85-95% of the country's crude exports.
Elif Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images
Tankers load on the island before sailing through the Persian Gulf and The Strait of Hormuz. If the loading facilities on the island were removed, Iran's ability to export oil would immediately fall. Oil revenue, derived primarily from the sale of crude oil to China, remains one of the most important sources of finance for the Islamic Republic.
The strikes on oil infrastructure could be a major escalation in the war that could affect oil markets around the world, and threats against the island would put pressure on Tehran's energy system.
How would strikes threaten Iran's energy system?
Iran has been threatening world energy markets by keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed to most traffic, but the Kharg Island strikes show that the US can affect Iran.
National security analyst Aaron MacLean told “CBS Saturday Morning” that Mr. Trump has shown that he is strong if Iran keeps the Strait closed. About 20 percent of the world's oil goes through water.
“The president linked the Kharg Island threat to Iran's continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” MacLean said.
Oil and gas prices have risen since the start of the war. The release of 172 million barrels from the United States'' Strategic Petroleum Reserve failed to calm investors, and the price a a barrel of crude oil rose above $100 for the first time in years on Thursday.
Kharg Island was previously mandatory
This is not the first time that Kharg Island has been at the center of a war. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, Saddam Hussein sent Iraqi planes to repeatedly bomb the island in an attempt to choke off Iranian oil. Facilities were badly damaged, but Iran continued to repair them and exports continued.
Since then, Tehran has heavily fortified Kharg, building air defenses, solid infrastructure and underground storage designed to keep oil flowing even under continued attack.
While Iran cannot match the United States or Israel in conventional military terms, it has spent decades preparing for asymmetric warfare. If Kharg Island were seriously threatened, Tehran could respond with a number of restrictions. Iran's military may continue to attack US bases across the Gulf, increase attacks by allied forces in Iraq and elsewhere, and continue to strike ships in the Strait of Hormuz using fast-attack boats, naval mines and suicide bombers.
Iran's reaction will not defeat the elite military, but it will make operations in the Gulf painful and expensive.
