Trump says U.S. military ‘obliterated’ targets on Iran’s Kharg Island, but oil reserves untouched

President Trump said Friday that the U.S. military destroyed every military target on Iran’s Kharg Island, a five-mile island dubbed the country’s “oil lifeline,” but left its oil infrastructure intact.

“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East and totally obliterated every Military target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Mr. Trump added that he chose not to wipe out Kharg Island’s oil infrastructure but would “immediately” reconsider that decision if Iran continues to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Since the attacks started, Iran has shut down the Strait of Hormuz, one of the busiest oil shipping lanes in the world. Simultaneously, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has attacked over a dozen commercial vessels, halting oil tanker traffic in the region.

“Iran has no ability to defend anything that we want to attack — There is nothing we can do about it,” Mr. Trump continued.

Kharg Island is a coral island located about 15 miles off the coast of mainland Iran in the northern Persian Gulf. It is viewed as a strategically vital hub both economically and geopolitically for Iran because of the amount of oil processed through its terminal.

It is estimated that nearly 3.3 million barrels per day are produced on the island, with nearly half of Iran’s national output, 1.5 million barrels per day, being exported across the globe.  

Until Friday, the island had remained virtually untouched since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint attacks on Iran.

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Kharg Island accounts for about 90% of the country’s crude exports and has a loading capacity of roughly 7 million barrels per day. Had the U.S. damaged the island’s oil infrastructure, it could prompt a sustained increase in already soaring oil prices. 

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.