US and Israel struck Kharg Island, a key military and energy hub in the Persian Gulf, today as deadline set by US President Donald Trump neared, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency. The strikes targeted radar systems, docking facilities and multiple military installations on the island.
The reported attack came just hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump, who had warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of critical infrastructure, including bridges and energy plants.
Strikes widen across Iran, tensions escalate
In a separate development, US and Israeli forces also struck a bridge near the city of Qom, south of Tehran, according to Iranian state television citing a provincial official. Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed carrying out a broader wave of attacks targeting infrastructure across multiple locations in Iran.
“A short while ago, the IDF completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting dozens of infrastructure sites belonging to the Iranian terror regime in several areas across Iran,” the military said in a statement.
Iranian media reported that at least two people were killed in the strikes. Amid the escalating situation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that it could retaliate by disrupting energy supplies. The group threatened to deprive the US and its allies of oil and gas “for years.”
Why Kharg Island is a critical target
Located in the northern Persian Gulf, Kharg Island is a small but highly strategic landmass that plays an outsized role in Iran’s economy. Despite being only about five miles long—roughly twice the size of London’s Heathrow Airport—it serves as the main terminal for the country’s oil exports.
The island has a loading capacity of around seven million barrels per day, and at times has handled nearly 90 per cent of Iran’s total crude shipments. A network of pipelines connects it to both offshore fields in the Persian Gulf and major oil reserves on the mainland, creating a dense concentration of energy infrastructure.
Because of this, any strike on Kharg Island carries significant implications not only for Iran’s economy but also for global oil markets, with potential ripple effects on supply, pricing and regional stability.