AP — Iran’s Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil, has emerged as a focus of the month-old war launched by the United States and Israel.

Strikes on oil infrastructure on Kharg — or a ground invasion — would severely curb Iran’s oil exports, a key source of revenue for the Islamic Republic.

It would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf Arab infrastructure and further drive up oil prices. The skyrocketing cost of fuel is already threatening the world economy.

A US occupation of the island would put American troops in a stationary position just 33 kilometers (21 miles) off Iran’s coast, well within range of its arsenal of drones and missiles.

Other islands near the vital Strait of Hormuz could also be targeted. Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunb islands are held by Iran but long claimed by the United Arab Emirates, a close US ally. Qeshm Island is home to a desalination plant.

Here’s a look at the islands and their importance in the war.

The small coral island houses the terminal through which nearly all of Iran’s oil exports pass. Iran has continued to export oil, mainly to China, through the Strait of Hormuz even as its attacks have closed the vital waterway to most traffic.

The destruction or loss of the........

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