Tehran has warned of harsh retaliation if its key energy hub on Kharg is targeted<\/p>\n
US forces have struck military facilities on Kharg Island off Iran\u2019s coast, with US President Donald Trump warning that a major oil terminal there might also be attacked if Tehran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.
\nIranian authorities have responded by promising to target US-linked oil infrastructure in the Persian Gulf if that happens.
\nThe tiny island is responsible for processing some 90% of Iran\u2019s crude exports, and remained untouched during the first two weeks of the US and Israeli war on the country, which led to oil prices soaring worldwide.
\nOn Friday, Trump announced that the US has \u201ctotally obliterated every military target in Iran\u2019s crown jewel, Kharg Island.\u201d The president claimed that he chose not to target the oil infrastructure this time, but cautioned that \u201cshould Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
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According to the US military, more than 90 targets on Kharg Island were hit, including naval mine storage facilities, missile depots and other military sites.
\nIranian state media, however, reported 15 explosions on the island, with the strikes being aimed at air defense systems, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar. The oil terminal remains unaffected, it stressed.
\nOn Saturday, Trump reiterated his threat, telling NBC News that \u201cwe may hit it (Kharg island) a few more times just for fun.\u201d
\nKey to Iran\u2019s economy
\nAn attack on the oil facilities would represent a major escalation. Despite being only 20 square kilometers in size, Kharg Island plays a crucial role in the Iranian economy, handling almost all of the country\u2019s crude exports. These strikes threaten to deepen the global energy crisis even further as, according to Reuters, Iran supplies about 4.5% of the world\u2019s oil.<\/p>\n
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The oil terminal is located on a coral outcrop, sitting around 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the coast. It was built by the American company Amoco before the 1979 Islamic Revolution drove a major wedge between the US and Iran. The location was chosen because the shallow waters off the country\u2019s shores made it problematic for large tanker ships to enter the ports on the mainland.
\nPipelines deliver crude from the oilfields across Iran to Kharg Island, which is often referred to by the public as the \u201cforbidden island\u201d because of the tight security around it.
\nSatellite images have shown the terminal at the island working around the clock during the conflict as Iran continues to ship oil to China, despite closing the Strait of Hormuz to vessels from most other countries.
\nIran once exported 1.5 million barrels per day. However, because of the sanctions, deliveries spiked in the run up to the US and Israeli attack. It started exporting more than 2 million barrels daily and sometimes saw volumes reach 3.7 million barrels, according to data from Kpler trade analyst.
\nKharg Island also hosts an oil storage facility with an estimated capacity of 30 million liters, which is currently around 60% full, Kpler said.
\nTehran warns of retaliation<\/p>\n
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Following Friday\u2019s attack, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed to set the oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf \u201con fire\u201d if energy sites on Kharg Island are struck.
\nOn Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told MS Now that \u201cour armed forces have already stated that they will retaliate if our oil and energy infrastructure is attacked. They will strike any energy facility in the region that belongs to or is partially owned by an American company.\u201d
\nIs a US ground operation possible?
\nThe strikes on Kharg Island are also likely to complicate Trump\u2019s plans to put a friendly government in power in Iran in order to benefit from its oil sector, like the US has been doing in Caracas since the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January.<\/p>\n
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Rumors have emerged in recent days of Washington preparing a ground operation to capture energy infrastructure on the island, fueled by the announcement that a rapid response US marine unit of about 2,500 troops will be deployed to the Middle East.
\nThe US president told Fox News that boots on the ground was \u201cone of so many different things\u201d considered by his administration. \u201cIt\u2019s not high on the list, but it\u2019s one of so many different things, and I can change my mind in seconds,\u201d he said.
\nTrump first spoke about the seizure of Kharg Island in 1988. \u201cI\u2019d be harsh on Iran. They\u2019ve been beating us psychologically, making us look like a bunch of fools. One bullet shot at one of our men or ships, and I\u2019d do a number on Kharg Island. I\u2019d go in and take it,\u201d he said at the time.
\nMilitary experts have been warning that the ground operation would be an extremely risky affair. Even if the US marines are able to capture the island, holding on to it would be problematic due to its proximity to the mainland and its flat surface, which would provide almost no cover from the Iranian drones, missiles or artillery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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