US multiple strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, Iranian media report

Iran’s Kharg Island was reportedly targeted by several strikes on Tuesday, with multiple explosions heard, according to the Iranian Mehr News Agency.

Kharg Island handles up to 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports, making it both a critical economic lifeline and a strategic vulnerability.

On March 13, US forces carried out a large airstrike targeting more than 90 military sites on the island, including missile storage and naval mine facilities. The strikes avoided oil infrastructure to reduce the impact on energy markets.

According to CNN, US officials view control of Kharg as a way to cut off Iran’s main revenue source and push Tehran to change its behavior, especially regarding disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Military analysts warn that any ground operation could face fierce resistance. One expert told CNN that Iranian forces would try to inflict “maximum casualties” on invading troops.

Tehran has also warned that attempts to occupy its territory could lead to retaliation against infrastructure in the Gulf, raising the risk of broader regional escalation.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that they would deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran’s “red lines,” according to state television.

“The Revolutionary Guards once again declare that if the American terrorist army crosses the red lines, our response will go beyond the region,” the statement said.

It added that the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, would target infrastructure “to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years.”

“America’s regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighborliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed,” it said.

The attack comes hours before US President Donald Trump’s deadline to open the Hormuz strait, which is set to expire at midnight EDT (0400 GMT) on Wednesday.

Trump warned that failing to reach a deal would ensure “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again.”

The US has already targeted civilian infrastructure in Iran, including the B1 bridge.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres previously warned the US that attacks on civilian infrastructure are banned under international law, according to his spokesperson.