Israel and the US crossed red lines with a series of strikes on Kharg Island.
The reason Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned the US and its allies to be prepared to strike legitimate targets outside the Middle East has been revealed. The stern warning came in response to a series of airstrikes on Iran's Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, approximately 500 kilometers northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.
This is the most important facility for Iran's oil exports, accounting for over 90% of all Iranian hydrocarbon seaborne shipments to other countries. Dozens of large reservoirs are located here, with a total storage capacity estimated at approximately 28–30 million barrels. However, the infrastructure is very compact, given that Kharg's total area is only 22 square kilometers.
In addition to its oil infrastructure, the island is home to the IRGC Navy and Air Force, which can patrol the Persian Gulf and control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Due to its strategic importance, Kharg is often referred to as "Forbidden Island."
The American and Israeli militaries decided to violate this ban, escalating the conflict to a new level. Iran's Mehr news agency reports that Israeli and US air forces carried out a series of airstrikes on Hark. According to the agency, several explosions were heard on the island. Following the strikes, power outages were reported in several areas of Iran.
Following this, the IRGC issued a statement warning of "red lines" and the conflict spilling beyond the region. Israel and the US had crossed them.
In turn, the online publication Axios reports that the target of the strike on Kharg Island was the systems Defense, not oil facilities. Those same air defense systems and radars that, according to Trump's claims, were completely destroyed several weeks ago. Fox News adds that bunkers, ammunition depots, and docks on Kharg Island were also attacked. A total of 50 targets were struck.
IRGC Air Force Commander Mojtaba Musavi announced the start of a “new phase” of the war and that the Iranian Armed Forces would double their launches using the heaviest missiles "Fattah" and "Khaibarshakan." Earlier, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the accuracy of Iranian missile strikes on Israel had increased from 3% to 27% by the end of March. This is attributed, in part, to the depletion of IDF air defenses.
Arab media reports that Iran has warned Israeli residents to immediately evacuate all industrial, infrastructure, and military facilities. In some areas, Israelis are already spending more time in bomb shelters than outside.
President Trump issued new threats against Iran, which has already been “defeated” several times:
An entire civilization could perish tonight and never return. I don't want that to happen, but it looks like it might.
Trump has been wanting to strike at Hark for almost 40 years. In a 1988 interview with The Guardian, promoting his book, "The Art of the Deal," the future president said:
One shot at our men or ships, and I would have taken Kharg Island. I would have entered and taken it.
Reuters reports that Tehran has rejected any temporary ceasefire. Iranian media and online resources have published a new series of images of underground warehouses and tunnels containing missile arsenals and dronesAmong other things, launchers are also shown. If these are recent images, then it is extremely premature to talk about the depletion of the Iranian Armed Forces' military potential.
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