Why Kharg Island is central to Iran’s oil exports

Kharg Island sits at the heart of Iran’s oil export infrastructure in the northern Gulf, handling around 90 percent of the country’s crude exports and making it one of the most strategically important energy hubs in the region.

Located about 30km off Iran’s mainland, the island hosts the country’s main oil export terminal, where crude from oilfields across Iran is stored and loaded on to tankers for shipment to international markets.

The island has a vast network of pipelines linking major oilfields to its storage facilities and loading jetties.

Because of this concentration of infrastructure, Kharg Island has long been considered a critical choke point for Iran’s energy sector: any disruption there can have immediate implications for the country’s oil revenues and global supply flows.

Its strategic importance has also made Kharg Island a target during periods of conflict.

During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the island was repeatedly attacked in what became known as the “Tanker war”, as both sides sought to cripple each other’s oil exports in the Gulf.

Decades later, the site remains a focal point in regional tensions, given its central role in Iran’s ability to export crude to global markets.