An image taken on March 17 by the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite shows Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country's main crude export terminal and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of its oil shipments to the world. [AFP/YONHAP]
U.S. forces have struck military facilities on Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil export hub, according to a Tuesday report by U.S. media outlet Axios that cited anonymous sources.
Iran’s state-owned Mehr News Agency also reported that Kharg Island had come under repeated airstrikes and that explosions had been heard in succession.
Situated off Iran’s southern coast in the Persian Gulf, Kharg Island serves as the linchpin of the country’s energy exports, handling more than 90 percent of its crude oil and petroleum shipments.
Any damage to the oil-related facilities there would likely ripple across Iran’s energy sector, raising the prospect of significant disruption to one of the country’s most vital economic lifelines.
The strikes came just hours before a 48-hour deadline set on Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was set to expire.
Approximately 70 percent of Korea’s crude oil imports pass through the strait. Twenty-six ships owned or operated by Korean companies are stranded to the west of the strait, including 17 crude and oil tankers, five bulk carriers, two gas carriers, a container ship and an automobile carrier.
Trump has criticized Korea, Japan and European allies for not helping the United States reopen the strait by sending their warships to escort commercial vessels through the waterway.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
댓글
0