Why Trump's Kharg Island attacks could make the oil crisis worse
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The Bottom Line
Trump is considering further strikes on Iran's Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iran's oil exports.
How This Affects You
Gas prices could spike significantly if oil exports from Iran are further disrupted.
AI Summary
President Trump told reporters Monday he is considering further strikes on Iran's Kharg Island following U.S. attacks this weekend, saying "we can do that on five minutes notice." The island handles about 90% of Iran's crude oil exports, with 1.55 million barrels per day shipped via Kharg so far this year according to Reuters analysis. Trump is weighing seizing the island outright as "an economic knockout of the regime" that would defund Tehran, though a U.S. official warns this could trigger Iranian retaliation against Gulf oil facilities. Iran currently maintains a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz while allowing its own oil tankers to pass freely, driving up global oil and gas prices. If oil prices spike substantially further due to the continued strait closure, it could inflict meaningful damage on U.S. economic prospects.
What's Being Done
Trump is weighing seizing the island outright despite warnings of potential Iranian retaliation.
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GlobalWhy Iran’s vital Kharg Island oil hub is still untouched by US-Israel bombers
<p>While some argue for destroying the terminal though which 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow, others caution of a global market ‘tailspin’</p><p>Kharg Island – through which 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow – is arguably the country’s most sensitive economic target but the export terminal has so far remained untouched throughout the US-Israel bombing campaign.</p><p>Experts say bombing or capturing the site with US forces would be likely to cause a sustained increase to already surging oil prices, as it would amount to taking the entirety of Iran’s daily crude exports offline.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/11/why-irans-vital-kharg-island-oil-hub-is-still-untouched-by-us-israel-bombers">Continue reading...</a>
CorporateUS oil CEOs warn Trump administration that energy crisis likely to worsen, WSJ reports - Reuters
<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixAFBVV95cUxQZElHUHE3bTVSQlRaanJTZFdWaGtZaHM4UnBDQmpUOG5GMnpMa3hZNG15ZGxQZ2FrQ3hMRDVmRERjdnFzcEtldVlqYkRYQXJDcHRldzF2WktDQnJvTDNabUVCa2FqaWhVSHlPay1icnBjLTBOeWJTakF5R1RYV09WcjZKb2x3VFkyLWZlZ0tEOXFOUGRMTGJYRTlRekNlXzJnalI4cHNTWWtENjNuTGRyYUlXTUo5dlhub285VVN2c0ZSTzl1?oc=5" target="_blank">US oil CEOs warn Trump administration that energy crisis likely to worsen, WSJ reports</a> <font color="#6f6f6f">Reuters</font>
CorporateKharg Island: Iran’s ‘untouchable’ oil artery?
It is the centerpiece of Iran's oil industry. Located some 25 kilometers, or 15 miles, off the shore of mainland Iran, Kharg Island is a small but vital strip of land, for the Iranian regime. Around 90% of its crude oil exports pass through here. FRANCE 24's Solange Mougin reports.
GlobalOil prices rise after Trump claims US ‘totally demolished’ Iran’s Kharg Island export hub - The Guardian
PoliticsScoop: Trump eases Venezuela sanctions on oil, fertilizer to blunt Iran war costs
<p>The Treasury Department made it easier Friday for U.S. businesses and farmers to buy Venezuelan fertilizer and oil as their prices rise because of the <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/iran" target="_blank">Iran war,</a> Axios has learned.</p><p><strong>Why it matters</strong>: The bottleneck of tankers in the Persian Gulf because of Iranian attacks has caused the costs of oil and fertilizer, a petrochemical product, to jump. It threatens to spike inflation and raise the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/iran-us-israel-war-food-crisis-prices-fertilizer-energy-costs-inflation/a-76286348" target="_blank">cost </a>of food in the U.S.</p><hr><ul><li>By reducing sanctions on oil-rich Venezuela, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/13/iran-war-trump-officials-ship-escorts-hormuz-strait" target="_blank">Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent</a> hopes to increase supplies in the U.S. and lower prices.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> The Office of Foreign Assets Control, which manages ...
GlobalIran hits Gulf neighbors and keeps stranglehold on oil shipping as concerns rise of energy crisis - AP News
<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilwFBVV95cUxNMnFkQ1lMcXNwMjZtWkluTVNScXFuZl9vakpnUFdHR2ZONGNlRlpDUlN0OWo3U0NEUHJTWXVWN3NWTzBycU5LU2laRkE0bkI3ZzlrQ0dhT2dPVk9WV0lWM3hoTW9MSHd4R1JCdHhyV1JRcGdUdzFJdV9JWllxckZpUXViaHlpdGZDYjJVdU1oY28xOFAwdlNr?oc=5" target="_blank">Iran hits Gulf neighbors and keeps stranglehold on oil shipping as concerns rise of energy crisis</a> <font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>

US and Iran Keep Up Strikes as Trump Mulls Possibility of a Deal - Bloomberg.com
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