Kamal Ghorui
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States may carry out additional strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub.Speaking in an interview with NBC News, Trump said previous US strikes had “totally demolished” most of the island’s oil infrastructure. He added that the US “may hit it a few more times just for fun”.
During the current conflict, US forces carried out airstrikes on military installations on Kharg Island, hitting dozens of targets including missile storage areas and other defence sites. Reports said the strikes focused on military facilities, while the oil export infrastructure itself was largely left intact.However, on Saturday, Trump announced that the United States had carried out strikes on the island, describing it as a key hub for Iran’s oil trade. He said US forces had “obliterated” military facilities on Kharg Island, which lies in the Persian Gulf and handles most of Iran’s crude shipments to the global market.While the strikes did not directly target the oil terminals, Trump warned that the energy infrastructure could be attacked if Iran interferes with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.Kharg Island is widely seen as Iran’s economic lifeline. The small island lies about 30 kilometres off the Iranian mainland near the port city of Bushehr. Despite being only around eight kilometres long, it plays a central role in the country’s oil exports.The island handles about 90 per cent of the country’s crude exports. Oil from offshore fields such as Aboozar, Forouzan and Dorood is transported through subsea pipelines to the island, where it is stored and loaded onto large tankers.
Call for global naval support
Trump has urged countries dependent on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to send warships to help keep the crucial shipping route open, as tensions with Iran continue to disrupt maritime traffic. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “The countries of the world that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — a lot!”“The US will also coordinate with those countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well,” he added.About a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the strait, a narrow passage of water between Iran and Oman. Tehran’s ability to stop shipping through the channel gives it significant leverage over the United States and its allies.In an earlier post on Saturday, Trump said that “Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending war ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the strait open and safe.”He added that he hoped countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain would send ships to the region.Meanwhile, Western nations have increased their military presence in the eastern Mediterranean during the conflict.
