Iran’s critical oil hub, Kharg Island, came under attack on Tuesday, according to Iranian outlet Mehr News, marking a major escalation in the ongoing conflict between United States and Iran.
Described as Tehran’s “crown jewel” of oil infrastructure, the small but strategically vital island was reportedly hit by several strikes, placing it at the centre of the month-long military confrontation that has already disrupted global energy markets.
Why Kharg Island matters
Located in the Persian Gulf, Kharg Island is responsible for handling nearly 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Its importance stems from both geography and infrastructure, much of Iran’s coastline is too shallow to accommodate large oil tankers, making the island indispensable to its energy trade.
The island sits across from US military bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, making it highly vulnerable in any escalation. Analysts say any sustained disruption here could significantly dent Iran’s oil revenues and ripple across global fuel prices.
The conflict has already pushed energy markets into volatility, especially after Iran moved to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes.
Trump had warned Kharg Island
US President Donald Trump had earlier hinted at the possibility of targeting Kharg Island, telling the Financial Times, “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options.”
A strike on the island is widely seen as an attempt to pressure Tehran by choking its oil exports and weakening its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s ‘final’ ultimatum to Iran
Trump has pushed back a deadline for Iran to cut a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz from Monday to Tuesday, the latest of several deadline delays, and threatened that without a deal “Hell will reign down on them.”
Trump’s previous deadline was for March 23, but that shifted several times over the ensuing weeks as the Republican president oscillated between heated threats, announced delays and proclamations that the negotiations were going well, sometimes in the same statement.
Iran rejected the latest ceasefire proposal, the country’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Monday. Shortly after, Trump gave an ominous warning to Iran if it didn’t capitulate and suggested Tuesday’s 8 p.m. EDT deadline was final.
“They’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything,” he said.
Iran refuses to back down
Iran has rejected a 45-day proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war. Ahead of Trump’s warning to open the ‘gates of hell’, Iranian officials have urged young people to form human chains to protect power plants.
Trump has extended previous deadlines but suggested the one set for 8 pm in Washington was final, and the rhetoric on both sides reached a fever pitch, leaving Iranians on edge. Trump threatened to destroy all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran does not allow traffic to fully resume in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits in peacetime. Iran’s president said 14 million people, including himself, have volunteered to fight.
