WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has intensified his rhetoric regarding a potential seizure of Iran’s Kharg Island, vowing to take the major oil terminal in the “not too distant future” to “assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets.”
While the president has used social media to escalate threats against the island, he has also acknowledged the complications of a ground invasion. In recent comments to Fox News, Trump stated his “preference” would be to take the island to make a “fortune” for the US, but he questioned if the American people had “the stomach for it,” adding that he “does not want to have to put boots on the ground.”
A critical energy lifeline
Kharg Island is a small rocky outcrop located approximately 15 to 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coast. It serves as a vital economic hub, processing 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil for export via deep-water jetties that can accommodate very large tankers.
The BBC reports that “Ninety percent of Iran’s crude oil comes through a terminal on the island,” which provides a major source of revenue for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). However, Reuters notes that a seizure might not have an “immediate impact” on the Iranian economy, as the country’s oil exports have already been severely curtailed by the war that began Feb. 28.
