Kharg Island, roughly one-third the size of Manhattan, plays a central role in Iran’s economy as nearly 90% of the country’s crude oil exports pass through it. Located at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, Kharg is close to Iran’s major oil facilities but far from the Strait of Hormuz, Reporteri.net notes.
Millions of barrels of crude flow daily from Iran’s primary oil fields—including Ahvaz, Marun, and Gachsaran—through pipelines to the island, which is known as the “Forbidden Island” due to strict military control, CNN reports. The island’s long jetties, deep enough to accommodate supertankers, make it a critical export hub.
Kharg’s storage capacity is estimated at around 30 million barrels, with about 18 million barrels currently held there, according to global trade analyst Kpler.
Last month, Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military conducted “one of the most powerful strikes in Middle East history,” targeting military assets on Kharg Island. A U.S. military official told CNN the attacks were “large in scale” but carefully avoided hitting oil infrastructure.
Earlier reports indicated the Trump administration was considering deploying U.S. troops to seize control of the island as leverage to pressure Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
