Why does the US have Iran’s Kharg Island in its sights? in Oil & Companies News 31/03/2026 US President Donald Trump has warned of possible further American action against a small island off the coast of Iran – home to a major oil terminal that is considered the country’s economic lifeline. In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said he wants to “take” Iran’s oil and was considering seizing Kharg Island. But he added an operation “would mean we had to be there for a while”. The US has already targeted the island earlier in the war. On 13 March, the US launched airstrikes on Kharg, with Trump saying US forces had “totally obliterated” every military target there. But it held off targeting the island’s oil infrastructure. Will the US try to seize the island? There has been speculation for some time about whether US forces will at some point attempt to take over Kharg Island. In the interview with the Financial Times, Trump said: “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options.” He added: “It would also mean we had to be there [in Kharg Island] for a while… I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.” Sources told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations to deploy ground forces into Iran. Adding to that speculation, US Central Command said on Saturday that a further 3,500 US sailors and marines arrived in the Middle East as part of a unit led by the warship USS Tripoli. Both the Pentagon and the White House have declined to comment on specific troop deployments or potential plans – but have repeatedly made clear that the option is available. What are the possible risks of the US attacking Kharg Island? Taking the island would effectively cut off the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s economic lifeline, affecting its ability to conduct the war, security analyst Mikey Kay, from the BBC’s Security Brief, says. Taking the island could choke off Iran’s oil exports and provide a platform for the US military to carry out attacks against the mainland. The US could use the island as leverage to compel the Iranians to keep the strait open. But any US operation to seize the island would be challenging, according to Aaron Maclean, host of the School of War podcast and a CBS News national security analyst. A US landing force would have to move considerable distances, either through naval vessels or as part of an airborne landing force. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, previously warned that his country’s forces were “waiting for American soldiers” and they would “rain fire” on any US troops attempting to enter Iranian territory. An Iranian military official previously told local media that shipping in the Red Sea would be targeted in the event of a ground invasion. Iran has reinforced its defences on Kharg Island in recent weeks in response to the threat, including deploying additional military personnel and air defences, sources told CNN. Tehran has sent additional shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles to the island and has laid traps including anti-personnel and anti-armour mines in the waters surrounding it, the website reported, citing “multiple people familiar with US intelligence”. Why is Kharg Island important to Iran? Kharg Island is a small rocky outcrop just 15 nautical miles (24km) off the coast of Iran. Ninety percent of Iran’s crude oil comes through a terminal on the island – transported through pipes