Explainer

Why a Strike on Iran’s Kharg Island Would Shake Oil Markets

Kharg Island oil complex in Iran.Photographer: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Iran’s oil exports hinge on a small outpost in the Persian Gulf: Kharg Island, the loading point for almost all of the country’s crude shipments.

The US and Israel have pummeled Iran with airstrikes since Feb. 28 and oil shipments from the energy-rich region have slowed dramatically. But Kharg Island appears to have emerged unscathed for now.