Iran's Kharg Island hosts the country's main crude export terminal and is responsible for the majority of its oil shipments to the world. Photo / European Space Agency via AFPHe said he had chosen not to target oil infrastructure on the island for now. With oil prices spiking, Trump was asked when the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Gulf’s critical Strait of Hormuz. Iranian strikes have all but halted maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass. The conflict has sparked chaos in global markets and sent oil prices soaring.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 13, 2026 22:43 UTC