Drones and mines: Taking Kharg Island would pose risks for US troops

March 27, 2026 10:09 AM

Drones and mines: Taking Kharg Island would pose risks for US troops

President Donald Trump has been weighing whether to use ground forces to seize Iran's strategic oil hub of Kharg Island, an operation analysts say could be achieved quickly, but leave U.S. troops in great peril and prolong rather than shorten the war. WHERE IS KHARG ISLAND AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Kharg Island sits 16 miles (26 km) from Iran's coast in the northern end of the Gulf, about 300 miles (483 km) northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. It lies in waters deep enough to enable the docking o...

Iran threatens to retaliate against region for US Kharg Island attack

March 15, 2026 1:33 AM

Iran threatens to retaliate against region for US Kharg Island attack

Iran threatened on Saturday to escalate the war raging in the Middle East by targeting any facility in the region with U.S. ties, after Washington bombed its main energy hub and U.S. President Donald Trump predicted "many countries" would send warships. As the conflict entered its third week, Iran projected defiance after U.S. forces hit military sites at Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iranian oil exports. A drone attack had already disrupted a United Arab Emirates energy hub and the U.S. e...

Trump threatens to hit Iran’s Kharg Island oil network if shipping lanes remain blocked

March 14, 2026 2:49 PM

Trump threatens to hit Iran’s Kharg Island oil network if shipping lanes remain blocked

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran's Kharg Island hub unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a warning that could further roil markets coping with a historic supply disruption. Trump paired his Friday ultimatum with a social media post saying the U.S. had "totally obliterated" military targets on the island, the export terminal for 90% of Iran's oil shipments, which lies about 300 miles (500 km) northwest of the strait. U.S...