Donald Trump is considering occupying or blockading Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, which sits 15 miles offshore and processes 90% of the country’s crude oil exports, to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
🇺🇸🇮🇷🚢The Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, four sources with knowledge of the issue tell @MarcACaputo and me. Read our story on @axios https://t.co/Gz5r6IIue5
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) March 20, 2026
Via Axios:
Trump can’t end the war, at least on his terms, until he breaks Iran’s chokehold on shipping through the strait, the Middle East’s dominant oil hub.
Three sources said an occupation of the island by ground troops is under serious consideration. Another option is to impose a naval blockade and prevent tankers from reaching the island.
A senior administration official told us Trump “wants Hormuz open. If he has to take Kharg Island to make it happen, that’s going to happen. If he decides to have a coastal invasion, that’s going to happen. But that decision hasn’t been made.”
The U.S. carried out a major bombing raid last week on the island’s military installations, leaving the oil export facilities untouched.
Global energy prices have been surging during the 21-day war, and Trump is clearly feeling the heat.
Oil prices remain high today, with Brent crude still trading at more than $108 per barrel, up from roughly $72 per barrel before the war began.
A military operation to take over Kharg Island could put U.S. troops more directly in the line of fire.
Read more here.
Why is Kharg Island important? What to know about the Iranian island struck by the U.S. https://t.co/f9mHPGusNJ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 20, 2026
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