Trump Eyes Iran’s ‘Economic Lifeline’: The Strategic Plot to Seize Kharg Island

Amidst the intensifying conflict between the U.S. and Iran, the focus of the Trump administration has shifted toward a tiny yet powerful patch of land: Kharg Island.

Spanning just 7.7 square miles, this island serves as the gateway for 94% of Iran's crude oil exports. Reports from Axios suggest that U.S. officials are weighing the option of seizing the island rather than just destroying it. Such a move would effectively sever Iran’s economic jugular, as nearly 40% of the national budget relies on oil revenues funneled through this terminal.

Experts like Petrus Katinas warn that controlling Kharg Island would provide Washington with immense leverage over any future Iranian government. With global oil prices already surging past $100 per barrel due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the stakes are at an all-time high. Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin suggests that seizing the island would paralyze the Iranian regime’s ability to pay its military and civil servants. Interestingly, this isn’t a new interest for Donald Trump; he expressed the desire to seize Kharg Island as far back as 1988, viewing it as the ultimate bargaining chip in regional geopolitics.