By Billy Stockwell

(CNN) — The US said it struck military targets on the key Iranian oil export hub of Kharg Island, although the strikes did not target oil facilities, according to one US official.

Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the recent US strikes on Kharg Island but said they did not mark “a change in strategy” ahead of President Donald Trump’s 8 p.m. ET Tuesday night deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian damage assessments following the strikes found most of the oil transport hub’s infrastructure intact, according to a report from Iranian state-affiliated media, citing local sources.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that maritime infrastructure on the island, which handles around 90% of Iran’s oil exports, suffered little damage during US bombing and continues to operate as normal.

The US had previously struck Kharg Island in March. US Central Command said at the time that 90 targets had been hit, including “naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites.”

Kharg Island, a coral outcrop off Iran’s coast, has been an economic lifeline for Tehran that handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude oil exports.

Here’s what we know about the island:

What is Kharg Island?

Kharg Island is a five-mile stretch of land off the Iranian coast around a third of the size of Manhattan, described by US officials as the “nexus for all the Iranian oil supply.”

Its long jetties jutt into waters that are deep enough to accommodate oil supertankers, making the island a critical site for oil distribution.

The island has long been key to Iran’s economy. A declassified CIA document from 1984 published online said the facilities are “the most vital in Iran’s oil system, and their continued operation is essential to Iran’s economic well-being.”

Alternative export routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz exist, but they are limited and have not been robustly tested on a large scale, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

For example, in 2021, Iran inaugurated the Jask oil terminal, allowing crude oil to be transported to Jask on the Gulf of Oman just east of the strait, but the terminal is not considered a viable export option for Iranian crude, the IEA said.

Storage capacity on Kharg is estimated at roughly 30 million barrels and, according to trade intelligence firm Kpler, about 18 million barrels of crude are currently stored there, Reuters reported.

Last month, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said destroying the terminal would “cripple Iran’s economy and topple the regime.” He declared that Israel “must destroy all of Iran’s oil fields and energy industry on Kharg Island.”

Has Iran been preparing for a potential US attack?

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in March that “Iran’s enemies, with the support of one of the regional countries” were preparing to occupy one of the country’s islands, without directly naming the island.

Iran laid traps and moved additional military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible US operation to take control of the island, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue.

The island already has layered defenses, and the Iranians have moved additional shoulder-fired, surface-to-air guided missile systems known as MANPADs there in recent weeks, the sources said.

Has the US attacked the island before?

Yes. Trump said in March the US had bombed “every military target” on the island and threatened to attack its oil infrastructure if Iran continued blocking ships from traversing the Strait of Hormuz.

Video posted to Truth Social and geolocated by CNN showed US strikes on the island’s airport facilities, with large explosions and black smoke visible throughout the footage.

Trump said on the same day that Kharg was “not high on the list, but it’s one of so many different things, and I can change my mind in seconds.”

But as far back as 1988, decades before he was elected, Trump has talked about invading the island.

“One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it,” he told The Guardian in an interview at the time.

White House officials believe taking Kharg Island would “totally bankrupt” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to one official, and could potentially lead to a swift end of the war.

But many inside the administration are wary of such a move, particularly given it would require a significant number of ground troops to achieve.

The-CNN-Wire
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