Former U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Iran’s key oil export hub on Kharg Island and other energy infrastructure if a deal to end the ongoing conflict is not reached soon.
About 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports leave the country through Kharg Island, a small island in the northern Persian Gulf that is vital to Iran’s economy. Much of the oil shipped from the island is exported to China and other Asian markets.
Trump made the threat in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying the United States was in “serious discussions” with what he described as a more reasonable regime in Tehran. He said progress had been made in negotiations but warned that if a deal was not reached shortly and the Strait of Hormuz was not immediately open for business, the U.S. could launch major attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
He said the U.S. could respond by “blowing up and completely obliterating” Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and possibly desalination plants, which he said had not yet been targeted.
Kharg Island, located about 24 kilometers off Iran’s coast, is relatively small about 8 kilometers long and 4 to 5 kilometers wide but hosts extensive oil infrastructure, including storage tanks, pipelines and offshore loading terminals. Its facilities can load roughly 1.3 to 1.6 million barrels of crude oil per day due to deep-water access that allows very large crude carriers to dock.
Trump’s comments followed an interview with the Financial Times in which he suggested the United States could seize and control the Kharg export hub, saying his preference would be to “take the oil in Iran,” a move that would require capturing the island.
He also said the U.S. had about 3,000 potential targets in Iran but added that a deal could still be reached fairly quickly. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the United States was negotiating both directly and indirectly with Iran, although Tehran has repeatedly denied that direct negotiations are taking place.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran had received a 15-point proposal from the Trump administration but confirmed there had been no direct negotiations with Washington so far. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf also dismissed talks as a cover for increasing U.S. troop presence in the region, warning that Iranian forces were ready to respond if American troops landed.
The United States previously launched airstrikes targeting military positions on Kharg Island, while Iran has threatened to mine the Persian Gulf and launch attacks on Gulf countries if U.S. forces invade its territory. Military experts say that even if U.S. forces captured Kharg Island, holding it would be difficult because it lies within missile and artillery range of the Iranian mainland.
