By Retired VADM Joe Leidig

Would Occupying Kharg Island Increase Pressure on Iran—or Create a Vulnerable Outpost?

The U.S. might be considering seizing Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub, as a way to increase pressure on Tehran.

History suggests that taking a small island objective is often the easy part; sustaining it under constant threat is the real challenge.

During the Iran–Iraq “Tanker War,” Kharg and nearby shipping were attacked repeatedly, demonstrating how exposed the island is to persistent strikes. Similarly, the U.S. Navy’s Operation Praying Mantis in 1988 showed how decisive maritime force can be—but it was a punitive strike, not a long-term occupation.

If the United States ever put Marines on Kharg Island, the real test would begin after the landing. The island sits just off the Iranian coast, placing any occupying force well inside the range of Iranian missiles, drones, mines, and small-boat forces. Sustaining a foothold there would require protected sea and air supply lines, layered missile defense, and continuous suppression of nearby threats. In practical terms, it would be less a raid and more a sustained campaign to keep an exposed outpost viable.

That raises the larger strategic question: would the leverage gained by controlling Iran’s primary oil export hub outweigh the risks of turning U.S. forces into a fixed and highly vulnerable target in the Gulf? I can’t see many upsides for the U. S. in this strategic scenario.