By Summer Said, Benoit Faucon and Costas Paris
Iran has warned Persian Gulf states that an attack on Kharg Island would be a red line, leading to a wave of attacks on the energy infrastructure of its oil-rich Arab neighbors. That is why the U.S. attacks on Kharg on Friday, while potentially striking a blow to Iran's ability to export oil, could also trigger further escalation of the conflict.
Gulf countries have in recent days attempted to lobby Washington against launching an attack on Kharg and energy facilities in Iran. Washington, in response, had told Gulf diplomats that it would avoid striking Iran's energy facilities and would pressure Israel to follow suit.
At about 8 square miles, Kharg Island is about the size of Block Island, the summer tourist destination off Rhode Island. It has an airport, oil terminals and ports. Kharg is the main export terminal for Iran and is deep enough for supertankers that can move about two million barrels of oil-most of Iran's oil exports.
Trump said in a social media post that the U.S. "obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island" but didn't strike the island's oil infrastructure. Kharg wasn't known as a major military installation, though it is possible Iran moved assets there when the war began.
Any attack on the oil infrastructure or the loading terminal is expected to create havoc in oil flows. Three Chinese-owned vessels loaded at Kharg earlier this week, according to shipping brokers.
A Greek shipowner with three tankers stuck in the Persian Gulf said it appeared Trump would use the threat to close down Kharg as leverage to push Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has privately warned Persian Gulf countries that it would attack their oil platforms if Kharg or other Iranian islands were invaded by the U.S. or its allies, according to Iranian officials.
Iran has continued loading from Kharg even as it impedes transit through the Strait of Hormuz for other exporters. As of Friday, at least 10 tankers had collectively taken almost 19 million barrels from the facility since the war started, according to data provider Kpler. They included China's Wen Yao, which left laden with two million barrels of Iranian crude oil and crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
Kharg Island is Iran's main crude-oil shipping terminal. Since the war broke out, however, Iran has also restarted using the port of Jask in the Gulf of Oman to avoid having to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 13, 2026 21:23 ET (01:23 GMT)
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