Kharg Island–Fujairah Attacks:
Geopolitical escalation in West Asia has intensified after the US reportedly carried out bombing strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub, while Iran retaliated by striking oil facilities in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- Both locations are critical nodes in the global oil supply chain, and attacks threaten international shipping lanes and oil markets.
- Kharg Island is a small Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, about 25 km off Iran’s southwestern coast.
- Kharg was once called the “orphan pearl of the Persian Gulf.” Today, it is often referred to as the “forbidden island” because access is tightly controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- The island became Iran’s primary export centre because it is connected by pipelines to major oil fields such as Ahvaz, Marun, and Gachsaran and has deep waters suitable for supertankers.
- About 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports pass through Kharg Island, with the terminal handling roughly 1.3–1.6 million barrels per day, and the ability to store around 30 million barrels.
- Kharg has been part of regional trade networks since the 10th century, serving pearl divers and traders moving between India and Basra (Iraq).
- It was later fortified by the Dutch in the 18th century and briefly occupied by the British in the 19th century.
