US Kharg strikes bring Iran war closer to energy lifelines

• Fears for Gulf energy supply
• Iran attacks Saudi Arabia’s Jubail complex
• UAE media reports missile damage in Sharjah

The Iran war entered a dangerous new phase on Tuesday as the US struck Kharg Island and the conflict spilled further into Saudi Arabia and the UAE, raising fears for the Gulf’s energy lifelines.

US forces launched fresh strikes on military targets on Kharg, according to CBS News and Reuters. The coral outcrop, home to deepwater export terminals, is linked by pipelines to the Iranian mainland about 25km away and handles 90 percent of the Islamic Republic’s crude exports. A US official said oil infrastructure was not hit.

The conflict also spilled further into Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after Iran attacked the Jubail petrochemical complex, according to Reuters. 

The site, housing multi-billion-dollar joint ventures between state-backed oil giant Saudi Aramco and its petrochemical subsidiary Sabic, is at the heart of the kingdom’s downstream energy sector. The attack caused a fire at the complex and loud explosions were heard.

UAE state media also reported that the Thuraya Telecommunications building in Sharjah had been hit by an Iranian missile, with at least two people injured.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump had threatened to take out Iran “in one night” if it failed to make a deal before the deadline he set for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

Trump’s timeline for a deal – one that includes the free flow of energy through the strait – is set for 20:00 Washington DC time (00:00 GMT on Wednesday). The US president has set multiple deadlines during the war before extending them. 

A strike on a bridge in Iran’s Kashan city reportedly killed two people and injured three others on Tuesday, according to Iranian state-run news agency IRNA.

In a statement reported by the BBC on Tuesday evening, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had shown “considerable restraint” and “exercised care in selecting targets for retaliation” against the US and its regional partners.

“From this point forward, all such considerations will be set aside,” Iranian state-run media reported.

The IRGC said that if the US military “crosses red lines, our response will go beyond the region” – adding that it would target the US and its partners’ infrastructure and disrupt regional oil and gas supplies for years.

Further reading:

• Hormuz toll booth would be ‘unacceptable’ to Gulf producers
• The old world of energy is being turned upside‑down
• Oil and gas facilities targeted in UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait

Kharg’s military installations were previously attacked by the US on March 13. Located about 650km northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, the island sends more than 80 percent of its seaborne crude volumes to China.

Speaking in Europe, US Vice President JD Vance said that the Kharg strikes did not mark any change in US strategy, saying Washington was still seeking a negotiated response from Iran rather than a broader assault on energy sites.

Brent crude was up 0.69 percent, fetching $110.46 per barrel, and West Texas Intermediate was up 3.65 percent at $116.06 at 15:25 GMT on Tuesday.