Iran's oil exports from Kharg island increase despite war: media

TEHRAN: Iran’s oil exports from the key island of Kharg have increased even as the war with the United States and Israel rages, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

“Following the visits carried out and meetings held on Kharg island, I must say that in recent days not only have oil exports not decreased, but they have increased,” ISNA news agency quoted Moussa Ahmadi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s energy commission, as saying.

Kharg Island, located off Iran’s western coast, is a vital oil export terminal for the country.

US President Donald Trump has recently threatened to destroy the island if a deal to end the war is not reached soon and the Strait of Hormuz does not “immediately” reopen.

On March 13, the US said it had bombed military targets on the island but refrained from hitting oil infrastructure there.

Iranian officials have in recent days warned that the United States may be planning a ground attack, particularly targeting one of Iran’s islands, and have repeatedly cautioned against such a move.

The warnings came as the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship carrying around 3,500 Marines and sailors, arrived in the Middle East last week.