The Kharg hub handles almost all of Tehran’s crude exports
According to a report by Axios citing US officials familiar with the matter, President Donald Trump is considering the seizure of Iran’s Kharg Island offshore oil hub. The outlet noted that such an action would probably necessitate a ground operation.
Located in the northern Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran, Kharg Island spans approximately 20 square kilometers. It contains a significant oil storage facility with a capacity estimated at around 30 million barrels and manages roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports.
On Saturday night, Trump stated that US forces had “obliterated every military target” on the island, asserting their complete destruction. However, the IRGC reported that the island’s oil infrastructure was left undamaged.
Sources told Axios that the option to capture Kharg Island is under consideration if oil tankers continue to be effectively blocked in the Persian Gulf.
One source informed the outlet that as long as the blockade persists and regional shipments are restricted, Trump “won’t be able to end the war, even if he wants to.”
A senior White House official told Axios that Trump has not yet reached a final decision regarding the seizure of Kharg Island, noting the president is evaluating both the potential “big risks” and “big rewards.” The official emphasized, however, that Trump “is not going to wait around and let the Iranians dictate the pace of the conflict.”
Axios sources also said Trump is presently assembling a coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with an announcement anticipated in the near future. The US president and senior administration officials are said to have held discussions on this issue over the weekend.
Attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, which are reported to have killed more than 1,000 Iranian civilians, have prompted retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz. The strait facilitates the transit of about one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and gas supply.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a warning that it will prohibit vessels from nations it deems hostile from passing through the strait. These events have driven global crude prices up by nearly 50% to approximately $120 per barrel.