EXPLAINED: Why Kharg Island is ‘the beating heart of Iran’s oil empire’-and what happens if it stops beating

In the early hours of Saturday, March 14, the “orphan pearl” of the Persian Gulf became the latest battleground in the ever-intensifying US-Israel-Iran conflict. President Donald Trump announced that the US Air Force struck military targets on the very secretive and heavily fortified Kharg Island, the nerve center of Iran’s energy empire. A ‘warning shot’ to the global economy The US President, via a message posted to Truth Social, stated: “For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the oil infrastructure on the island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the free…