Trending 
Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States Central Command had carried out a major bombing raid on targets on Kharg Island, a strategic hub responsible for the vast majority of Iran’s crude oil exports.
“The United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote on social media.
The US president added that Washington had deliberately avoided striking the island’s oil facilities but warned that could change if shipping routes were threatened.
“I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider.”
The United States and Israel have previously acted cautiously regarding the island, although officials in the Trump administration have reportedly considered seizing Kharg as the regional conflict continues.
Located about 30 kilometres off Iran’s mainland coast, the island handles roughly 90 per cent of the country’s crude exports, according to a report by JPMorgan Chase.
Experts warn that any attack on the facility could have immediate global consequences.
“A direct strike would immediately halt the bulk of Iran’s crude exports, likely triggering severe retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz or against regional energy infrastructure,” JPMorgan said.
Iranian attacks have already severely disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Energy infrastructure in other Gulf states has also been affected.
Trump said the United States Navy would soon begin escorting oil tankers through the strait to help restore shipping flows as his administration grapples with rising fuel prices in the United States.
Kharg Island became a key oil export centre during Iran’s petroleum expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, when much of the country’s coastline proved too shallow for large supertankers.
