Why did America attack Iran's Kharg Island?

Kharg Island is a small rocky island off the coast of Iran.Despite its small size, the island is one of the most important parts of Iran's energy industry.

Donald Trump says the US military bombed a small island off Iran's coast that is home to a major oil terminal seen as Iran's economic lifeblood.

According to Trump, the military facilities on Harg Island are "completely destroyed", but the US has refrained from attacking the oil infrastructure there.

But Trump warned he would reconsider the decision if Iran or others "do anything to impede shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," one of the world's most important sea lanes, which lies south of Iran's coast.

Iran's military confirmed that the oil and energy infrastructure of companies cooperating with the United States would be "instantly destroyed" if the Kharg oil facilities were attacked.

Why is Kharg Island important to Iran?

BBCMap skin Culfor Hormuz.

Kharg Island is a small rocky island just 24 km off the coast of Iran.

Despite its small size, the island is one of the most important parts of Iran's energy infrastructure.

The American attack on this island can be likened to cutting off Iran's "economic lifeline."

About 90% of Iran's crude oil is exported through terminals on the island.

Each day, the terminal processes approximately 1.3 million barrels of crude oil, which travels through a network of subsea pipelines from three main Iranian offshore fields: Abuzar, Forozan and Durood.The terminal also has a storage capacity of up to 18 million barrels, which is equivalent to approximately 1012 export days under normal conditions.

Large tankers capable of carrying up to 85 million gallons of oil can dock at the island to offload oil.The coast of Kharg Island is closer to deep water compared to the shallow coast of mainland Iran.

From there, tankers from the Persian Gulf travel through the Strait of Hormuz to China, the main buyer of Iranian oil.

As a major oil export terminal, the island is a major source of revenue for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Why didn't the US attack the Kharag Island oil facilities?

A satellite image shows the oil terminal on Kharg Island.(Planet Labs via Reuters)

On Friday (March 13), Donald Trump said that US Central Command "carried out one of the most devastating bombings in the history of the Middle East and destroyed an entire MILITARY target which is Iran's jewel, Kharg Island."

He added that "for the sake of decency", he had chosen "NOT TO DESTROY the island's oil infrastructure".

Iranian state media reported that oil facilities on Harga Island were not damaged.The Fars news agency reported that the US strikes targeted air defense systems, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar.

Iran's military has warned that the oil and energy facilities of US-linked companies will be "immediately destroyed into ashes" if Iran's energy facilities are attacked.

Military action that destroys the island's infrastructure would be a major blow to Iran.

The move would also signal a major escalation in the conflict.World oil prices are likely to rise even higher, which could prompt Iran to attack more oil infrastructure in the Middle East region.

Entering the second week of the war, Iran still has the ability to launch hundreds of explosive-laden drones at neighboring Gulf countries and at passing ships.

Potential targets of attack could even extend to vital infrastructure, such as desalination plants that provide drinking water to millions of people.

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Military expert and former British Army officer Justin Crump said the airstrike was an attempt to stop Donald Trump from escalating the conflict with Iran.

"He presented his actions as a form of mercy, but at the same time he showed that he could punish the IRGC more severely" by targeting oil installations, Crump, who is also chief executive of intelligence consultancy Sibylline, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Trump has previously stated that the goal of the war is to destroy the regime of the Iranian people in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Although Trump later offered other reasons for launching the war, Crump said targeting Khag Island's oil infrastructure would be "difficult" because in the long term it would destroy Iran's main economic lifeline.

"It doesn't bode well for their future," he said, adding that the island's oil infrastructure was destroyed during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and that it will take a long time to rebuild it.

Will the US capture Karg Island?

An idea of ​​how the US military might try to capture Kharg Island one day.

Control of the island would not only limit Iran's oil exports, but also provide the US with a strategic position to launch an attack against Iran.

US media reports said amphibious assault ships with up to 5,000 marines and sailors were now being sent to the Gulf, adding to that speculation.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Seizing the island would essentially cut off the IRGC's economic bottom line, affecting its ability to conduct combat operations, said security analyst Mikey Kay of BBC Security Brief.

What is the history of Kharg Island?

Getty Images Kharg Island is located 28 km off the coast of Iran.

Kharg Island has played a strategic role in the Persian Gulf since the time of the Persian Empire more than 2000 years ago. At that time, it was an important trading port with natural spring water.

The island was ruled by the Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th and 17th centuries, and was home to a maximum security prison in the early 1900s.

In the 1950s, during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the construction of the carbon storage and distribution center was started, and the center later developed into Iran's largest export site.

The 24 square kilometer island has played a central role in Iran's oil exports since the 1960s, when its infrastructure was built with the participation of the American oil company Amoco.

Until the Islamic Revolution in 1979, part of the island's infrastructure was owned by American companies operating there.

Additional reporting by BBC Mundo

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