“Iran’s lifeline has been bombed”: what you need to know about Kharg Island

United States President Donald Trump announced tonight (between Friday and Saturday) in a post on Truth Social that the American military bombed the island of Kharg, where Iran’s oil export center is located, in what he called “one of the most powerful bombings in the history of the Middle East.” According to him, the US has completely destroyed every military target “in Iran’s crown jewel”.

• An economic lifeline for Iran, which handles about 90% of the country’s crude oil exports – which means that any attack on it carries the risk of a major escalation.
• Almost every day, millions of barrels of crude oil flow from Iran’s main oil fields.

• A CIA document from 1984 revealed that the facilities there are “the most essential in the Iranian oil system, and their continued operation is essential to Iran’s economic well-being.”
• The island has been loading tankers “nonstop since the war broke out,” according to TankerTrackers.com, which tracks crude oil shipments using satellite photos and data.

• The storage capacity in Kharg is estimated at about 30 million barrels, and currently about 18 million barrels of crude oil are stored there, Reuters reported.

• A US military official told CNN that Friday’s strikes were “large-scale” but avoided damaging the island’s oil infrastructure. The targets included naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military infrastructure, the source added.
• This event occurred at the same time as the US announced that it would send a unit of the Marine Corps, numbering about 2,500 marines and sailors, to the Middle East. A retired US Army lieutenant colonel, Kimmitt, raised the possibility that this force would occupy Kharg Island.

• Experts have also argued that an attempt to take control of Kharg Island or attack it would require a large number of ground forces – a step that the Trump administration has so far avoided ordering, according to CNN reports.