Trump Threatens Iran’s Kharg Island Oil Hub

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran’s most important oil export hub on Kharg Island if Tehran continues attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of further turmoil in global energy markets.

The warning came after U.S. and Israeli forces launched large-scale bombardments against Iran starting on February 28, a campaign that rapidly escalated into a wider regional conflict affecting global energy and financial markets.

According to reports, U.S. strikes hit military facilities on Kharg Island, triggering more than 15 explosions. Iranian sources said air defense systems, a naval base and airport facilities were struck.

However, the island’s critical oil infrastructure — including export terminals and storage facilities — was not damaged.

Trump said on social media that U.S. forces had “totally obliterated” military targets on the island, which serves as the main export terminal for Iranian crude.

Despite avoiding energy facilities in the initial strikes, Donald Trump warned that this restraint could change if Iran interferes with shipping routes.

“If Iran, or anyone else, interferes with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” Trump wrote.

He also claimed Iran could not defend itself against U.S. attacks and urged its military to lay down its arms.

Iran, however, showed no sign of backing down.

Iranian armed forces warned that any strike on the country’s oil and energy infrastructure would trigger retaliation against facilities operated by oil companies cooperating with the United States in the region.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out further attacks on Israel together with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Trump shared night-vision footage showing a series of explosions from U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, Tehran’s main oil export hub in the Persian Gulf.

Open-source analysts geolocated the strikes using the footage, identifying hits on military targets including air defenses, ammunition bunkers, missile storage, communications infrastructure, and the island’s airfield.

The strikes avoided the oil export terminals, which handle about 90% of Iran’s crude exports.

Why Kharg Island is critical?

Kharg Island is the heart of Iran’s oil export system, handling roughly 90% of the country’s crude shipments to global markets.

Located about 500 kilometers northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, the island hosts an extensive network of pipelines, storage tanks and export terminals.

Because of its central role in Iran’s energy sector, even minor disruptions to Kharg’s infrastructure could tighten global oil supply and push energy prices higher.