The Kharg hub handles almost all of Tehran\u2019s crude exports<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump is weighing the seizure\u00a0of Iran\u2019s Kharg Island offshore oil hub, Axios has reported, citing American officials familiar with the discussions. Such a move would likely require a ground operation, the outlet added.
\nKharg Island lies in the northern part of the Persian Gulf, off Iran\u2019s coast\u00a0and covers an area of some 20 square kilometers. It hosts a major oil storage facility with an estimated capacity of about 30 million barrels and is responsible for processing some 90% of the\u00a0Iran\u2019s crude exports.
\nOn Saturday night, Trump said that US forces had \u201cobliterated every military target\u201d on the island, claiming that all of them had been destroyed. The IRGC said that none of the oil infrastructure facilities on the island had been damaged.
\nIf oil tankers remain effectively blocked in the Persian Gulf the option of attempting to seize Kharg Island is being considered\u00a0according to Axios sources.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
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One source told the outlet that as long as the blockade remains in place and shipments from the region are constrained, Trump \u201cwon\u2019t be able to end the war, even if he wants to.\u201d
\nTrump has not made a final decision on the seizure of Kharg Island, a senior White House official told Axios, adding that the president is weighing both the potential \u201cbig risks\u201d and \u201cbig rewards.\u201d The official stressed, however, that Trump \u201cis not going to wait around and let the Iranians dictate the pace of the conflict.\u201d
\nSources also told Axios that Trump is currently working on forming a coalition to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, with an announcement expected in the coming days. Over the weekend, the US president and senior administration officials reportedly held related discussions on the issue.
\nUS-Israelis attacks on Iran, that have reportedly killed over 1,000 Iranian civilians, triggering retaliatory attacks across tMiddle East, effectively closinghe Strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the world\u2019s daily oil and gas supply.
\nIran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that vessels from countries it considers hostile would not be allowed to transit the strait. The developments have sent global crude prices up nearly 50% to about $120 a barrel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Kharg hub handles almost all of Tehran\u2019s crude exports US President Donald Trump is weighing the seizure\u00a0of Iran\u2019s Kharg Island offshore oil hub, Axios has reported, citing American officials…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t