Kharg Island

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15628579/Trump-considering-seizing-Iranian-Oil-Island-country-exports-90-crude-White-House-officials-reveal-operation-boots-ground.html

Trump 'considering seizing Iranian "Oil Island" where country exports 90% of its crude': White House officials reveal operation that could see boots on the ground

A view of oil facilities on the Kharg island on the Persian Gulf about 1,250km south of Tehran

Donald Trump is reportedly considering seizing Iran’s ‘Oil Island’ to destroy the regime’s oil revenues in an operation which could see American boots on the ground.

The US President could be tempted to send troops to capture Kharg Island, where 90 per cent of the country's exports flow, as he ramps up strikes on Iran.

The island could be used as a bargaining chip by Trump and as a natural barrier for US troops staging attacks on the Islamic Republic - although it would leave them highly vulnerable to Iranian counter strikes.

Located 25 kilometres off the beleaguered nation’s southern coast, Kharg Island was once the world's largest offshore crude oil terminal.

A main road named ‘Oil Boulevard’ traverses the six kilometre island, which is said to have a loading capacity of roughly seven million barrels per day.

Capturing Kharg Island would choke off Iran’s oil profits and a White House official told Axios there have been discussions over a takeover. 

The export terminal, already vital for Iran’s sanction hit economy, could prove even more significant given Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world's oil travels.

The closure has placed pressure on Mr Trump as oil prices spike worldwide and he was forced into offering US navy protection for vessels travelling through the crucial passageway in an attempt to ease the energy supply crunch.

Donald Trump is reportedly considering seizing Iran’s ‘Oil Island’ to destroy the regime’s oil revenue

Kharg Island's seizure would mean the US would ‘not have to worry’ about Iranian attempts to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut because it would get ‘all of the oil’ out of Tehran’s hands, Jarrod Agen, a White House adviser, claimed.

‘What we want to do is to get such massive oil reserves in Iran out of the hands of terrorists’, Mr Agen, executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council, told Fox.

Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official, said sending troops to take over Kharg Island was a ‘no-brainer’ as it would reduce Iran’s ability to fund its military.

It would not be the first time the island has been targeted, with Saddam Hussein’s forces heavily shelling it during the Iran-Iraq war in an attempt to cut off the country’s primary revenue stream.

‘If President Trump were to decide to seize this pivotal hub, it would deal a significant blow to the Iranian regime, as it would deprive them of a critical source of revenue, oil analyst Tamas Varga told CNBC.

‘Such a move would be reminiscent of the US intervention in Venezuela at the beginning of the year, when it effectively took control of the country’s oil sector.’

But he warned US forces would remain highly vulnerable to attacks and it would further intensify the conflict which has already spiralled out of control.

An invasion could provide Trump with a ‘big PR win’ and give the US significant leverage of Iran, which is already reeling from the killing of its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Pictured: An Iranian military boat patrols next to the Artavil oil tanker, at the Kharg Island

It would ‘cut off Iran’s oil lifeline’ which is crucial for the regime, according to Petras Katinas, a research fellow in climate, energy and defense at RUSI.

‘Of course, with shipping via the Strait of Hormuz now stopped, they cannot sell oil anyway, but looking ahead, seizure would give the US leverage during negotiations, no matter which regime is in power after the military operation ends,’ he told CNBC.

Trump has privately expressed 'serious interest' in deploying US soldiers to Iran, according to military sources, and has told White House advisors that he will need troops on the ground to complete his 'vision' for a post-war Iran, which he hopes to control in a similar way to Venezuela.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15628579/Trump-considering-seizing-Iranian-Oil-Island-country-exports-90-crude-White-House-officials-reveal-operation-boots-ground.html

A view of oil facilities on the Kharg island on the Persian Gulf about 1,250km south of Tehran