00:00It is the centerpiece of Iran's oil industry.
00:04Located some 25 kilometers or 15 miles off the shore of mainland Iran, Karg Island is
00:09a small but vital strip of land for the Iranian regime.
00:13Around 90 percent of its crude oil exports pass through here.
00:17Arriving by pipeline, the oil is then loaded onto tankers docked on the island, which thanks
00:23to its deeper waters serves as an accessible port.
00:26The loaded ships then return south, through the Strait of Hormuz, which is less than 500
00:31kilometers away.
00:33Karg Island is Tehran's gateway to the world economy.
00:37Currently some 7 million barrels of black gold or crude oil pass through here every day.
00:43Much of it is then freighted to Asia, namely to China and India.
00:47And such transactions are a vital financial revenue for the regime, including for its
00:52Revolutionary Guard and the army, which control much of this cornerstone of the overall Iranian
00:56economy.
00:57Yet, as in previous conflicts, the US and Israel have largely left the 25 square kilometer island
01:03untouched in its strikes on the regime.
01:06But there are calls to hit the island.
01:08Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Israel must destroy all the oil fields and
01:13energy industry on it, adding that this would crush Iran's economy and bring down the regime.
01:18But in Washington, the US's energy secretary said it would not be targeting Iran's energy
01:24industry.
01:25Yet, according to Axios, such a maneuver has been discussed, with the possibility of American
01:30soldiers taking the island.
01:32The White House has said that that's speculation.
01:36And there are risks.
01:38Wiping out Karg Island's infrastructure could greatly escalate the war, leaving the regime
01:42with nothing to lose.
01:43And in the case of a regime change, its infrastructure would be essential in rebuilding the Iranian
01:50economy.
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