Just 24 hours before US President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of Iran's Kharg Island, a key oil hub, Fox News host Jesse Watters suggested that seizing the island could end the war and secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Kharg Island, located about 20 miles off the Iranian mainland in the Persian Gulf, handles approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports.
During his Thursday night show, Watters told viewers: 'We also have Kharg Island, 15 miles off Iran's coast, their main export terminal, essentially the country's cash register. Kharg is Iran's oil lifeline; if we seize it, it's over. That option remains on the table.'
Historical context reveals that Kharg Island has long been considered a strategic target. In 1980, columnist Jack Anderson disclosed that it was the primary target of a US invasion plan presented to President Jimmy Carter after the Tehran hostage crisis. The New York Times later reported that Pentagon plans included seizing the oil depot on Kharg Island.
During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Kharg Island remained largely operational despite Iraqi attacks, with damage quickly repaired. JP Morgan noted in a recent report that disabling the island would require sustained, large-scale attacks.
Trump himself had previously indicated his intent to target Kharg Island. In a 1988 interview with the Guardian, he stated: 'I'd be harsh on Iran. They've been beating us psychologically... One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I'd do a number on Kharg Island. I'd go in and take it.'
