What could happen if US takes over Iran’s strategic Kharg Island? Explained
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "What could happen if US takes over Iran’s strategic Kharg Island? Explained")
Kharg Island Photograph: (AFP)
Reports suggest that the US may seize Kharg Island to pressure Iran over the Strait of Hormuz situation. However, experts warn of grave consequences of American troops on the Iranian island.
Amid reports suggesting that US President Donald Trump is considering using ground forces to take over Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, military analysts have raised concerns over the consequences and risks of such an operation. This comes as the war in West Asia continues to escalate since it began on February 28, after the US and Israeli military launched joint strikes on Iran. In response, Tehran has retaliated across the Gulf, targeting US and Israeli sites. It has also blocked the strategic Strait of Hormuz, triggering a global energy crisis due to the disruption in oil supply.
CNN earlier reported that Washington is weighing using US troops on Kharg Island, the Islamic Republic’s key oil export terminal located in the northern Persian Gulf, as leverage over Iran to pressure it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, it added that Iran has been laying traps, including anti-personnel and anti-armour mines around the island, and deploying additional military personnel and air defences for a possible US operation. Iran has also reportedly moved additional shoulder-fired, surface-to-air guided missile systems known as MANPADs there in recent weeks.
Earlier on March 13, the US forces struck Kharg Island. Despite being only a few kilometres long, it serves as the backbone of Iran’s oil export infrastructure, with nearly 85-90 per cent of the country’s crude exports passing through the terminal on this island before being shipped to global markets.
Trump had said that the US was striking military targets on Iran’s “crown jewel”. He added that “for reasons of decency”, he did not “wipe out” the oil infrastructure on the island. He further warned that he would reconsider his decision if Iran interfered with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
What could be the consequences of US troops in Kharg Island?
Experts have cautioned that any US military operation to seize the Kharg Island would result in an escalation rather than a decisive victory. Even if the US manage to seize the island, it would face repeated attacks from the Iranian mainland. Iran could launch retaliatory attacks using drones, ballistic missiles, and naval assets, targeting both troops on the island and US vessels in nearby waters. This would pose a risk of significant US casualties.
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Retired admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander, said that he would be “very worried” about such an operation. “Iranians are clever and ruthless. They will do everything they can to inflict maximum casualties on US forces both on the ships at sea and especially once ground troops are anywhere in their sovereign territory,” he told CNN.
Noting the strategic importance of the Kharg Island as Iran’s primary oil export terminal, any military operation on its land would severely disrupt global energy supplies, making the existing oil crisis worse. The situation could also result in a possibility of Iran’s ally, China, being involved in the conflict, given its reliance on Iranian oil.
Ruben Stewart, senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank, told CNBC, “What is notably absent are the heavy armoured units, logistics depth, and command structures required for a prolonged land war. In practical terms, this is a force that can act quickly and selectively, but not one that could sustain operations deep inside Iran or over an extended period.”
He added, “Seizing Kharg Island is technically feasible but escalatory, given its centrality to Iran’s oil exports. By contrast, securing Iran’s nuclear material would be the least realistic with this force as it would require a far larger, sustained ground presence.”
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
