Iran's Oil Hub Kharg Island Hit Again As Trump's Deadline Nears
The Kharg Island located at the Persian Gulf serves as Iran’s major oil export terminal, that can handle around 90 per cent of its crude oil shipments. It can also store around 30 million barrels of oil.
- World News
- 4 min read
Tehran: As Donald Trump's Tuesday deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz nears, US forces have carried out strikes on Iran's strategic oil hub, Kharg Island, Mehr News reported on Tuesday.
As per reports, soon after the strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued a warning saying that 'Restraint is over'. The latest attack which marks a significant escalation of the Middle Eastern conflict, comes just after Iran rejected another ceasefire plan by Donald Trump.
Amid a series of threats against Iran over not coming to the negotiating table, Trump had once stated that if Iran does get “serious” with talks and does not strike a “peace deal”, it may blow up the country's energy infrastructure, including electricity plants, oil wells, and Kharg island.
The US had earlier launched strikes on Kharg Island during which it targeted its military installations, destroying its naval mine storage and missile bunkers.
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Why Is Kharg Island Significant?
The Kharg Island located at the Persian Gulf serves as Iran’s major oil export terminal, that can handle around 90 per cent of its crude oil shipments. It can also store around 30 million barrels of oil.
The island is located 16 miles off the coast of Iran and 300 miles northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Trump's Explicit-Ridden Threat
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump threatened to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran if the country does not agree to open up the strategic chokepoint Strait of Hormuz. When human law activists claimed that Trump's threats, if it materialises, would amount to war crimes, he appeared to brush it aside saying that he is “not at all” concerned.
Trump warned that if the Islamic Republic refuses to open up Hormuz, Iran will be “living in hell”, adding “JUST WATCH”, only to notch up his rhetoric. This latest pressure tactic, played out mostly on Truth Social, came after Iran dismissed Donald Trump's 48-hour ultimatum to strike a deal or face devastating consequences, mocking it as a "helpless" call.
Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Tehran conveyed its response through Pakistan, a key mediator.
“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told AP on Monday.
While Trump reiterated later on that failure to come to an agreement by 8 pm EDT (0000 GMT) on Tuesday could lead to severe consequences, Tehran has hinted that it is not interested in a temporary ceasefire, rather it wants a permanent one to end the war.
Diplomatic Efforts Between Iran, US
“We won’t merely accept a ceasefire,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo said, adding, “We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again.”
Tehran reportedly conveyed its response through Pakistan, which has emerged to be a mediator in this war that has dragged on for more than a month. Iran has expressed its unwillingness to accept any temporary truce, but has stressed on the need for a “permanent end to war.”
Iran’s reply was in the form of a 10-clause framework that extends the purview of an immediate ceasefire, including ending conflicts across the Middle East, regulations to ensure safe passage of ships through Hormuz, lifting of sanctions on the country that have put pressure on its economy, among several others.
The war between Iran and the US began on February 28, when joint US-Israeli strikes targeted Iran, killing several top leaders, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Since then, there have been multiple strikes and counter-strikes, with Iran launching missiles and drones at US bases and allied countries in the region.
The US has been trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked, disrupting global oil supplies. Trump has claimed that the US can "easily" reopen the strait and "make a fortune" from it.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts are on to resolve the crisis, with Pakistan reportedly hosting high-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt. However, Iran has said it did not participate in the meetings, and the US-Iran ceasefire talks have stalled.