The U.S. Strategy to Seize Kharg Island: A High-Risk Gamble

Mon Mar 30 2026 17:22:16 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Amid rising tensions, U.S. President Trump reveals potential plans for a military operation targeting Iran's crucial oil export terminal at Kharg Island. This strategy raises questions about its feasibility and the potential consequences.

The U.S. considers a military intervention in Kharg Island, a key node for Iranian oil exports. As troop deployments occur in the region, both tactical challenges and risks of escalation loom large, with Iran reinforcing its defenses and threatening retaliation against any U.S. assault.

US President Donald Trump has indicated that he may send troops to seize control of Iran's key oil export terminal at Kharg Island in the northern Gulf. So what's behind this, how would it work and what are the risks?

Kharg Island has long been Iran's chief outlet for its oil exports. The island sits offshore with waters deep enough to load product onto tankers known as Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), which can hold around two million barrels. Around 90% of Iran's oil exports pass through Kharg.

During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, it was frequently bombed by the Iraqi Air Force and on 13 March this year, the US struck what it said were 90 military targets on the island. It however spared the oil infrastructure.

If the US does decide to invade Kharg Island, it would most likely be a temporary measure intended to put pressure on Iran by cutting off its fuel exports until it relinquished its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz - one of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes - and conceded to Washington's demands.

Given the resilience and defiance of the Iranian regime, it is highly questionable whether this would work. The speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has warned that his country's forces would rain down fire on any invading US forces. Iran is believed to have reinforced its defenses on the island, including with surface-to-air missile batteries.

Iran has also accused the US of duplicity by proposing peace talks at the same time as dispatching troops to the region. These forces are comprised of nearly 5,000 US Marines and around 2,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, prompting speculation about their potential use in operations to seize and hold Kharg.

In theory, the paratroopers could conduct an airborne assault, probably at night, to seize key positions on the island, which measures just 20 sq km (7.7 sq miles). The US Marines would deploy from ships equipped with Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC) for amphibious landings, facing significant challenges in the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz.

Such landings would likely meet resistance from anti-personnel mines and swarms of drones, leading to high casualty risks despite the overwhelming firepower of the Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs). Moreover, holding ground in Kharg after any successful seizure poses additional strategic vulnerabilities as Iranian forces could bombard the island from the mainland.

Any lengthy US occupation of Iranian territory would also be unpopular back home in the US, including among President Trump's supporters who elected him partly on a promise to avoid such conflicts.

There is much speculation around the actual motives behind the noise surrounding a possible US ground assault on Kharg, possibly acting as a deception plan rather than a genuine military strategy. Additionally, other Gulf islands also present strategic interests for the US, including Larak Island, Qeshm, and disputed territories held by Iran.

While a ground assault seems fraught with challenges, simultaneous signals from Trump regarding peace discussions with Iran add layers of complexity to this unfolding geopolitical tension.