US President Donald Trump is considering various options to widen the military campaign against Iran. Among them is a plan to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil-export hub. Trump had even thought of taking it back in 1988, long before he became president.
Located about 25 kilometres (15 miles) off Iran’s coast in the Persian Gulf, this small island is about one-third the size of Manhattan in New York.
US officials have described it as the nerve centre of Iran’s entire oil-supply system. The island’s deep-water jetties are among the few in the region with the capacity to berth supertankers, making it extremely important for oil exports.
About 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil is exported through Kharg Island, making it one of the main lifelines of the country’s economy.
A declassified 1984 CIA document described the installations on Kharg Island as “the most important infrastructure of Iran’s oil system.”
The idea of seizing Kharg Island is not new for Trump. In the ongoing war, the United States has struck the island several times. Even in 1988, long before he became president, Trump spoke of the idea of taking the island, the report said.
There is, however, disagreement within the Trump administration over the plan. According to one section of White House officials, taking control of Kharg Island would deal a major blow to the economic capacity of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and could create the possibility of ending the war quickly.
Another section of the administration, on the other hand, has expressed concern that such an operation could require the deployment of a large number of ground troops, and has therefore taken a cautious stance on the plan.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report