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

Iranian Oil Infrastructure Attacked

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15626545/Moment-gas-pipes-explode-Tehran-Israeli-strikes.html

A huge gas pipe explosion caused the ground to shake on the streets of Tehran after Israel struck oil depots in Iran.

Israel has hit Iran's fuel infrastructure for the first time in nine days as it launched a fresh wave of devastating strikes. 

Video footage showed the moment a gas pipe in central Tehran sent a shockwave of explosions through buildings on the busy Shahran Boulevard.

Buildings shook and people ran for their lives as a flash of light swept through the street.

The explosions left behind a 'river of fire' on the streets of the city as burning oil leaked onto pavements and roads and into the city's sewage system.

The blast came after Israeli strikes hit the nearby Shahran oil depot in the west of the city, one of four depots targeted in strikes on the Iranian capital.

Iran's oil distribution company said four of its employees were killed in the strikes.

The skies over Tehran were turned red and filled with acrid smoke as fireballs erupted from the depots.

A 'river of fire' was seen in the streets of Tehran after Israeli strikes on oil depots caused gas pipelines to explode

Strikes on Iranian oil depots sent huge clouds of acrid smoke into the sky, turning it red

One resident in Tehran said it looked as if 'night had turned into day' as the sky was lit up by explosive orange flames from intense overnight infernos. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had struck 'several fuel storage complexes' in Tehran as part of a 'significant strike' against the regime.

Fire breaks out at the Shahran oil depot after US and Israeli attacks, leaving numerous fuel tankers and vehicles in the area unusable in Tehran

Explosions erupt following strikes at Shahran Oil Refinery in Tehran on March 7, 2026

A thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a US-Israeli strike late Saturday in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026

Fire breaks out at the Shahran oil depot after US and Israeli attacks, leaving numerous fuel tankers and vehicles in the area unusable in Tehran, Iran on March 8, 2026

The IDF said in a statement it had targeted Tehran's oil and fuel depots because Iranian forces make 'direct and frequent use of [them] to operate military infrastructure'.

Depots in Tehran and Alborz provinces were among those struck, according to a statement by the National Iranian Oil Company.

Tehran continues to choke on thick, acrid smoke following US-Israeli airstrikes on fuel dumps last night.

Earlier in the day, the IDF said it had also struck two Iranian sites producing ballistic missiles for the regime.

The IDF said the two compounds, in Parchin and Shahrud, were used for the research, design and production of the deadly weapons.

On a message posted to X, the IDF said: 'Over the past week, hundreds of IAF fighter jets struck the Iranian regime's production industries, which are used for the development and production of missiles and weapons.'

Israel's military said earlier that it had carried out around 3,400 strikes on Iran during the first week of the war, with around 7,500 munitions dropped.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15626545/Moment-gas-pipes-explode-Tehran-Israeli-strikes.html

The skies over Tehran turned a disquieting red and filled with acrid smoke after US and Israeli forces struck several oil depots in the Iranian capital

A huge fireball could be seen from miles away, while residents complained of a lingering burning smell in the air following the aerial military strikes

The IDF confirmed it had carried out strikes on the Iranian regime's infrastructure on Saturday night. Pictured: Flames erupt near to Mehrabad International Airport 

Flames rise from an oil storage facility south of the capital Tehran as strikes hit the city during the US-Israel military campaign, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026

Fire burns and smoke rises from Aqdasieh Oil Depot after being reportedly hit by strike, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran in this screengrab taken from a social media video released on March 8, 2026

Hellish scenes from last night's bombing campaign against Tehran have emerged

NY Mayor's Wife Liked Hamas Terrorist Attack on October 7

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15622331/NYC-socialist-mayors-wife-October-7-Israel.html

NY First Lady: A Syrian-American Muslim

Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters his wife was a 'private person' when quizzed over her liking a celebratory Instagram post the day after the October 7 attack on Israel. 

The Democratic socialist took questions on Friday after a story emerged in the Jewish Insider highlighting his wife Rama Duwaji, 28, and her activity on the platform. 

She liked an image which celebrated the attack by Hamas on Israel in October of 2023.

The post, made by leftist group The Slow Factory, included images of groups of people after having taken over an IDF vehicle, with 'Free Palestine' scrawled over it.

An image showed a bulldozer used by the group to break through into Israel on that day in which nearly 1,200 people died. 

Mayor Mamdani said: 'My wife is the love of my life.'

But Duwaji is not shy and retiring - she recently posed for a cover feature in the prestigious The Cut magazine, an offshoot of the hugely-popular New York magazine.

Another post by the left-wing group People's Forum in which they called for a protest against Israel was also liked by Duwaji.

The Mayor

People's Forum post

A post the next day after the protest said: 'FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!”

'Thousands have taken to the streets in #NYC to stand with Palestinian resistance and call for an end to all U.S. aid to apartheid Israel'. Duwaji also liked that post. 

Mamdani has come under heat in the past after using anti-Israel phrases including 'globalize the intifada'.

The city's first Muslim mayor, he is seen with skepticism by Jewish New Yorkers over his ardent support of the Palestinian cause. 

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, has promised to offer free daycare and free buses across the city.

He also plans to enact a millionaire tax, with critics warning that his policies could drive out the super-rich, whose taxes fund public services in the Big Apple.

At his inauguration, he made it clear that he would not be moderating his left-wing views as he took office.

Mamdani has come under heat in the past after using anti-Israel phrases including 'globalize the intifada'

'I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,' he said.

'Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously.'. 

Trump has called Mamdani a 'communist'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15622331/NYC-socialist-mayors-wife-October-7-Israel.html

Zohran Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji on the cover of The Cut's special issue 

The First Lady of New York City with her husband Zohran Mamdani