What to know about Kharg Island in Trump's standoff with Iran
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
View of the Port of Kharg Island Oil Terminal in Iran on March 12, 2017. Photo: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Following strikes hitting military targets on Iran's Kharg Island last week, President Trump is escalating threats to take the island in an effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The big picture: Just 15 miles off Iran's coast, Kharg Island handles about 90% of the country's crude oil exports — and a direct hit on the export terminal would shut down most of that flow.
- While Trump has yet to strike the island's oil infrastructure, he suggested he's willing to go that far.
- "We can take out the island, if, anytime we want," Trump said Thursday, adding that the site is "totally unprotected."
- Trump sending 2,500 U.S. Marines to the region fueled speculation that he may consider a broader takeover.
Here's what to know about Kharg Island.
A strategic hub
Kharg is one of the few islands in the Persian Gulf with natural freshwater resources, sustaining a permanent population and major infrastructure.
Zoom in: Unlike the shallow waters of Iran's coastline, Kharg's deep waters enable large oil tankers to dock.
- The island's terminal can load roughly 7 million barrels of oil per day and accommodate supertankers.
- Kharg contains three major energy infrastructure sites, including the country's largest oil-producing entity, Falat Iran Oil Company.
Flashback: Iraqi forces targeted Kharg several times during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, briefly damaging its oil infrastructure.
- Subsequently, Iran regrouped and shifted its shipping to smaller facilities in the region.
The global stakes
A strike on Kharg's oil infrastructure would ripple through the global energy markets, especially in China — the largest buyer of Iranian oil.
- Iran accounts for about 13% of China's oil imports.
Context: It's not the first time Trump has expressed interest in taking the island during a U.S. conflict with Iran. He told the Guardian in 1988 that he'd be, "harsh on Iran" and would, "go in and take" Kharg.
- Now, almost 40 years later, Trump is grappling with how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — which handles 25% of the world's maritime oil trade and 20% of liquefied natural gas shipments — as flows remain effectively trapped.
- The blockade is driving one of the steepest gas price surges in recent history, with gas prices rapidly approaching $4 per gallon. A strike on Kharg could push prices even higher.
Reality check: Kharg sits roughly 400 miles from the Strait, meaning seizing it alone may not restore shipping traffic through the chokepoint.
- Taking the island could trigger retaliatory Iranian strikes against oil facilities and pipelines across Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia
Go deeper: Why Trump's Kharg Island attacks could make the oil crisis worse
