Donald Trump has declared that the US will take control of Kharg Island, Iran’s most critical oil-export terminal. The small island in the Persian Gulf handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil shipments, somewhere in the range of 1.5 to 2 million barrels per day under normal conditions.
What happened
On June 11, Trump posted that the US would seize Kharg Island and assume control of Iran’s oil infrastructure. He drew comparisons to recent US actions in Venezuela, framing the move as an extension of American energy dominance.
Back on March 30, Trump threatened to obliterate Kharg Island and its oil-related infrastructure entirely if a deal regarding the Strait of Hormuz wasn’t reached immediately.
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which roughly a fifth of the world’s daily oil consumption passes.
