Military tensions in the Persian Gulf have once again reached a dangerously critical point. The fragile ceasefire efforts pursued since April have effectively collapsed following a series of retaliatory exchanges between the United States and Iran. The latest escalation was triggered by the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter by Iranian forces near the Strait of Hormuz. In response, US Central Command (CENTCOM) launched airstrikes against Iranian radar, communications, and air-defense facilities. Tehran quickly retaliated by striking five US military installations across Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet.

Amid this accelerating cycle of violence, President Donald Trump has raised the stakes dramatically. In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that the US military would strike Iran with overwhelming force and seek to assume control of the country’s oil and gas industry, including the occupation of Kharg Island. He explicitly compared the proposal to Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela earlier this year, when Washington seized control of the country’s oil sector following the arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro.

The threat to seize Kharg Island reflects growing frustration in Washington over the failure of diplomatic efforts. Mediation initiatives led by Pakistan and Qatar have stalled, with neither side willing to moderate its demands. Backed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s rhetoric of “negotiating with bombs,” the White House appears to be constructing maximum leverage to force Tehran into concessions. Although Vice President JD Vance later suggested that the US would refrain from targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure as long as Tehran kept the Strait of Hormuz open, the option of physically occupying Kharg remains under serious consideration within the Pentagon.

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From a geostrategic perspective, Kharg is far more than a small island in the Gulf. Covering just 22 square kilometers north of the Persian Gulf, it serves as the indispensable artery of Iran’s economy. Before the current crisis, roughly 90 to 96 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports passed through Kharg, with loading volumes reaching around 1.5 million barrels per day.

Because much of Iran’s mainland coastline is too shallow for Very Large Crude Carriers, Kharg’s deep-water terminals provide the country’s only practical gateway to global markets, particularly China. Without the island, Tehran would face immediate fiscal paralysis, losing a revenue stream that finances nearly half of government spending.

Because much of Iran’s mainland........

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