NEW DELHI,17 March 2026 : US President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the possibility of seizing Kharg Island– a scrubby stretch of land in the Gulf that handles almost all of Iran’s crude exports– amid a growing energy crisis due to war in the Middle East. Trump may order the seizure of Iran’s critical oil depot on Kharg Island if tankers remain bottled up in the Persian Gulf amid Tehran’s blockade, US officials said.
If the US goes ahead with the move, it would put US troops on the ground, which risks triggering Iranian retaliatory strikes against oil facilities and pipelines across Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia.
But America’s main ally in the Middle East, Israel, may not be inclined to put its boot on the ground in Iran just yet, as Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has claimed that neither Washington nor Jerusalem intends to invade Iran. He said the focus of US-Israeli actions remains on encouraging change within Iran through pressure from its own people rather than through military occupation.
Why The US Wants Kharg Island
Iran’s blockade of the Gulf’s narrow strait has triggered a global oil crisis by choking off a significant share of the world’s crude supply. As long as the blockade holds and Gulf oil is restricted, Trump cannot end the war even if the US leader wanted to, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
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