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U.S. Bombs Kharg Island, Gateway of Iran’s Oil Trade

VBL's Photo
by VBL
Saturday, Mar 14, 2026 - 13:01

GFN – WASHINGTON: U.S. forces carried out a large-scale bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island late Friday under orders from President Donald Trump, striking military installations on the strategic oil-export hub while deliberately avoiding damage to energy infrastructure that handles most of Iran’s crude shipments.

 

The strike represents a significant escalation in the two-week conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, targeting the island that serves as the primary gateway for Iranian oil exports to global markets. Kharg Island sits roughly 15 to 20 miles off Iran’s Persian Gulf coast and processes the overwhelming majority of the country’s seaborne crude shipments.

President Trump announced the operation after U.S. markets closed, describing it as one of the most powerful bombing raids conducted in the region and emphasizing that American forces deliberately limited the targets to military facilities.

“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, interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”

Iran’s semi-official FARS news agency reported that at least fifteen explosions were heard across the island during the strike. Iranian media indicated that air-defense installations, a naval base, an airport control tower, and helicopter facilities linked to offshore oil operations were among the targets.

Video released by the U.S. government showed large explosions near the island’s airfield complex.

The attack occurred against a backdrop of rising tension around the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime corridor through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supply typically passes. Iranian officials have previously warned that any strike on Kharg Island would cross a strategic red line and could prompt retaliatory attacks against energy infrastructure throughout the Persian Gulf.

Despite the military escalation, Kharg’s oil-export facilities appear to have remained operational immediately after the strike. Tanker tracking data indicates that at least ten vessels have loaded roughly nineteen million barrels of crude from the island since the beginning of the current conflict.

Iran has attempted limited diversification of export routes by reopening shipments from the Jask terminal in the Gulf of Oman, located southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, though Kharg remains the country’s dominant export outlet.

Earlier Friday, Trump told reporters the U.S. Navy would begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in response to mounting threats to commercial shipping.

“It will happen soon, very soon.”

In a later message posted online, the president framed the operation as part of a broader effort to counter Iranian regional ambitions.

“Iran had plans of taking over the entire Middle East and completely obliterating Israel. Those plans are now dead.”

Pentagon officials confirmed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the deployment of a Marine Expeditionary Unit to the region earlier in the day. Such a force typically includes roughly 5,000 Marines and sailors operating from multiple naval vessels.

For global energy markets, the key question now centers on Iran’s response. Tehran has previously warned that attacks on its energy infrastructure could trigger strikes against oil and gas facilities across the Gulf, a scenario that analysts say could push crude prices sharply higher and threaten global supply chains.

Markets and policymakers are now watching whether Iran interprets the strike, which avoided direct damage to oil terminals, as a limited military action or as the opening phase of a broader campaign targeting the country’s export system.

Continue reading for a detailed explanation of the strategic importance of Kharg Island as broken down by JPMorgan’s “Flash Oil Note”

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