Free Republic

Iran has been laying traps and moving additional military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible US operation to take control of the island, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue. The Trump administration has been weighing using US troops to seize the tiny island in the northeastern Persian Gulf as leverage over the Iranians to coerce them to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, CNN has reported. But US officials and military experts say there would be significant risks involved in such a ground operation, including a...

Lindsey Graham on Kharg Island: "We did Iwo Jima. We can do this."

Two weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the dominant narrative has settled into a comfortable groove: The United States and Israel stumbled into a war without a plan. Iran is retaliating across the region. Oil prices are surging, and the world is facing another Middle Eastern quagmire. US senators have called it a blunder. Cable news has tallied the crises. Commentators have warned of a long war. The chorus is loud and, in some respects, understandable. War is ugly, and this one has imposed real costs on millions of people across the Middle East, including the city I live in. But...

Don't misunderstand what I'm about to say. The war in Iran will continue for at least another week, according to President Donald Trump, and probably much longer. There are still hundreds, maybe thousands of targets, human and places, to destroy, thousands of sorties to be flown by U.S. and Israeli forces, and American naval assets will soon be joined by up to 5,000 Marines. There undoubtedly will still be casualties to come, joining the 13 we've already lost in the last fortnight. But not only are we winning this war against Iran, the killer move that all but assures the...

The U.S. military devastated the military installations on Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil transport facility, but left the oil infrastructure alone. President Trump threatened to blow up the oil facilities, too: “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,” Trump said in a statement Friday evening, referring to an island in the Persian Gulf where most of Iran’s oil is processed. “I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should...

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. Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision. During my...

Mar 13, 2026 U.S. war planners are reportedly considering a special forces operation to seize Iran’s Kharg Island — the tiny oil terminal where nearly all of Iran’s exports leave the country. If captured or destroyed, it could cripple Tehran’s economy overnight. But the island is heavily defended and sits within missile range of the Iranian mainland. Here’s why Kharg Island matters, how it’s defended, and what a Delta Force raid could actually look like.

The economic significance of Kharg Island to Iran renders it especially susceptible to potential military threats. However, experts suggest that any effort to capture it would likely necessitate a ground troop operation, which the U.S. seems hesitant to pursue. Experts further state that if Washington aims to intensify pressure beyond airstrikes, capturing or incapacitating Kharg Island’s oil infrastructure could strip Tehran of one of its most crucial financial resources. Given its pivotal role in global energy supply chains, any assault on the island might also cause a sharp increase in international oil prices, rendering it one of the most critical...

In the Persian Gulf, 16 miles off the Iranian coast, lies a small island that could be the key to finally sending Iran's theocratic regime into its well-deserved place in the ash heap of history. It's called Kharg Island, and it may well be the small scrap of dry land with the potential to end this whole thing.Kharg Island is located about 16 miles off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf, making it difficult to defend and easier to isolate — reportedly drawing the attention of administration planners.“Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. Take it...

State-owned NIOC said that operations have begun to start injecting oil into the 1,000km Goreh-Jask pipeline, which will be inaugurated "in the near future." The 46-inch diameter pipeline connects Iran's southwest Bushehr province to Jask, on the country's southern Gulf of Oman coast. The Jask terminal will provide an alternative to the Kharg Island loading point — from where most Iranian crude is shipped — and smaller terminals Lavan, Sirri and Soroush, all of which are located further into the Mideast Gulf. Iranian condensate exports are served by the Assaluyeh terminal. Iran has overwhelmingly relied on Kharg Island for its...