The Beating Heart of Iran: Inside Kharg Oil Island
About 25 kilometers off the coast of Iran, and some 660 kilometers from the critical Strait of Hormuz, lies Kharg Island (Kharg). On a small area of just about 24 square kilometers, one of the world’s most important strategic facilities is located, Iran’s main oil export terminal.
The island’s importance to Iran’s economy cannot be overstated. About 90% of the country’s crude oil exports pass through the enormous facilities built there. While Iran’s coastline is characterized by shallow waters that make docking difficult, the deep waters around Kharg allow giant tankers to dock easily, load oil, and sail to international markets. The island’s infrastructure includes vast oil storage tank farms and dedicated power stations, making it a site of paramount strategic importance. For that reason, the island is designated a closed military zone and is protected by a particularly tight security umbrella, including advanced air-defense batteries such as the S-300 and a permanent presence of elite units from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
Despite its modern image as an industrial center, Kharg is an island with an ancient history. As far back as the Sassanid period, it served as a religious and commercial center, and remains can be found there of a Zoroastrian fire temple and ancient Nestorian churches. In the 18th century, the Dutch tried to seize it and built a fortress there, but the island has always remained a crossroads on maritime trade routes. In the 20th century, under the Shah, accelerated industrial development began and turned it, in 1960, into Iran’s main oil port. This strategic importance made the island a prominent target in wartime.
During the “Tanker War” (1980 to 1988) between Iran and Iraq, the island was a major target of Iraqi air force bombings. Iraq tried to paralyze the Iranian economy with hundreds of attacks on the facilities and the nearby Dariush oil field. Despite the heavy damage it suffered, Iran invested enormous resources in rebuilding the facilities, proving the Iranian understanding that without Kharg, the Iranian economy simply collapses.
The island in numbers: Location: Persian Gulf, about 25 km from the coast of Iran. Size: about 6 km long and 4 km wide, a coral outcrop. Population: about 10,000 residents. Importance: about 90% of Iran’s oil exports pass through it. Topography: mostly flat, with low hills in the center, up to 87 meters.
In a world of political instability, Kharg Island remains a constant flashpoint. For the regime in Tehran, it is an asset that cannot be given up, and a fortress they will defend at any cost.
