Trump Eyes Iran’s ‘Economic Lifeline’: The Strategic Plot to Seize Kharg Island

Reports from Axios suggest that U.S. officials are weighing the option of seizing the island rather than just destroying it. Such a move would effectively sever Iran’s economic jugular, as nearly 40% of the national budget relies on oil revenues funneled through this terminal.

[Strategic map showing Kharg Island's proximity to the Strait of Hormuz]

Experts like Petrus Katinas warn that controlling Kharg Island would provide Washington with immense leverage over any future Iranian government. With global oil prices already surging past $100 per barrel due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the stakes are at an all-time high. Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin suggests that seizing the island would paralyze the Iranian regime’s ability to pay its military and civil servants. Interestingly, this isn’t a new interest for Donald Trump; he expressed the desire to seize Kharg Island as far back as 1988, viewing it as the ultimate bargaining chip in regional geopolitics.