Trump May Send Troops To Capture "Crown Jewel Of Iran"

US President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the possibility of seizing Kharg Island-- a scrubby stretch of land in the Gulf that handles almost all of Iran's crude exports-- amid a growing energy crisis due to war in the Middle East. Trump may order the seizure of Iran's critical oil depot on Kharg Island if tankers remain bottled up in the Persian Gulf amid Tehran's blockade, Axios reported, quoting US officials.

If the US goes ahead with the move, it would put US troops on the ground, which risks triggering Iranian retaliatory strikes against oil facilities and pipelines across Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia.

But America's main ally in the Middle East, Israel, may not be inclined to put its boot on the ground in Iran just yet, as Israel's ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has claimed that neither Washington nor Jerusalem intends to invade Iran. He said the focus of US-Israeli actions remains on encouraging change within Iran through pressure from its own people rather than through military occupation.

Why The US Wants Kharg Island

Iran's blockade of the Gulf's narrow strait has triggered a global oil crisis by choking off a significant share of the world's crude supply. As long as the blockade holds and Gulf oil is restricted, Trump cannot end the war even if the US leader wanted to, a source with knowledge of the situation told Axios. 

Earlier, Trump had said that he was working to assemble a coalition of countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid rising oil prices and reportedly hopes to announce it later this week. 

Meanwhile, the US also continues to attack Iranian targets, particularly those on the shores of the Persian Gulf and Kharg Island. On Friday, Trump said he had ordered strikes on military installations on the island, while sparing its oil facilities. The next day, he told NBC the US "may hit it a few more times just for fun".

Trump described Kharg as a "crown jewel" for Iran and maintained that every military target on the island had been "totally obliterated". 

US officials told Axios that Trump is inclined towards the idea of seizing Kharg because it would constitute "an economic knockout of the regime" – essentially defunding Tehran.

"There are big risks. There are big rewards. The president isn't there yet, and we're not saying he will be," the official added. 

The report came after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, an outspoken Iran hawk, applauded Trump's "decision to take the war to Kharg Island" and said Iran's economy will be "annihilated" if it loses control of the oil hub.

"Seldom in warfare does an enemy provide you a single target like Kharg Island that could dramatically alter the outcome of the conflict," he wrote on X. "He who controls Kharg Island controls the destiny of this war."

About Kharg Island

Kharg Island, located around 30 kilometres (19 miles) off the Iranian mainland, is a hub for roughly 90 per cent of Iran's crude exports, according to a JP Morgan note released earlier this month. 

Kharg underwent key developments during Iran's oil expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, with much of the country's coast being too shallow for supertankers. Iran has looked to diversify its export capabilities by opening the Jask terminal outside the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint in the Gulf of Oman in 2021, but Kharg remains "a critical vulnerability" for Iran, JP Morgan said. 

"It is a cornerstone of Iran's economy and a major source of revenue for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards," JP Morgan added, referring to Iran's well-resourced ideological army, which has major economic interests.