IRGC Navy Chief Warns Attack on Kharg Island Could Disrupt Global Energy Markets

A senior Iranian military commander has warned that any attack on Iran’s key oil export hub, Kharg Island, could dramatically disrupt global energy markets and reshape the international oil supply chain.

Commander of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Alireza Tangsiri, said such an attack would have far-reaching consequences for global energy distribution and pricing.

In a statement posted Monday on the social media platform X, Tangsiri said the international community had previously witnessed how tensions around the Strait of Hormuz could influence oil prices.

“You once tested Iran through the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote. “If the control of the strait reshaped oil pricing for you, an attack on Kharg would create an even more severe and unprecedented equation for global energy rates and distribution.”

The warning comes after Donald Trump, President of the United States, announced on Saturday that 13 military sites on Kharg Island had been targeted in airstrikes as part of a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on February 28.

Kharg Island is considered one of Iran’s most important oil export terminals and plays a significant role in the country’s energy infrastructure.

Tangsiri also addressed leaders of countries bordering the Persian Gulf, warning that reliance on Western powers for security could prove unreliable.

“Over the years, we have repeatedly told the rulers of Persian Gulf nations that the United States and Western countries will not bring you security. When their interests are at stake, they will sacrifice you for their own gain,” he said.

He further urged regional unity among Islamic nations and called for the removal of US military presence from the region, arguing that such steps would strengthen long-term stability.

The latest escalation follows what Iranian officials describe as an unprovoked military campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28.

Tehran has since responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli-controlled territories and US military bases across the region, raising concerns about a broader regional conflict and potential disruptions to global energy supplies.