US President Donald Trump is weighing the seizure of Iran’s 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.
Kharg Island lies in the northern part of the Persian Gulf, off Iran’s coast and 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 Iran’s crude exports.
On Saturday night, Trump said that US forces had “obliterated every military target” 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.
If oil tankers remain effectively blocked in the Persian Gulf the option of attempting to seize Kharg Island is being considered according to Axios sources.
One source told the outlet that as long as the blockade remains in place and shipments from the region are constrained, Trump “won’t be able to end the war, even if he wants to.”
Trump 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 “big risks” and “big rewards.” The official stressed, however, that Trump “is not going to wait around and let the Iranians dictate the pace of the conflict.”
Sources 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.
US-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’s daily oil and gas supply.
Iran’s 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.
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