On the international politics and geopolitical front, once again big and tense news is coming out from the Middle East. A big claim made by US President Donald Trump regarding Iran's strategically important Kharg Island has attracted the attention of the whole world. After Trump's claim, the long-simmering tension between America and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz has once again flared up. This latest development has not only endangered the security of the Gulf countries, but has also caused huge turmoil in global energy markets and crude oil prices. Trump's claim of complete destruction of Kharg Island and discussion of AI footage US President Donald Trump, while sharing a post on social media platform, claimed that Iran's main Kharg Island is being blown up in smoke and has been completely destroyed. For your information, let us tell you that Kharg is considered to be the main oil-export center of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the economic backbone of the country. However, defense and technology experts say that the video clip shared by Trump appears to be AI-generated and not footage of the actual live strike. Despite this, Trump has been issuing repeated threats to Kharg Island over the past several months, arguing that US forces have previously targeted specific military targets while partially sparing oil facilities there. US Central Command (CENTCOM) attack and counter-attack on Larak Island This entire tension deepened when the US military launched a planned attack on Larak Island. According to official information received from the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the main objective of this military action was to stop the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soldiers who were preparing to lay dangerous sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The US Army claims that these rocket launchers and mines could have become a major threat to international maritime trade and shipping. As a result of this American attack, there were reports of casualties among many Iranian soldiers and civilians, in response to which Iran also took an aggressive stance and expressed its displeasure by firing missiles at American bases located in Jordan. Why Kharg Island is Iran's 'black treasure' and its strategic location Kharg Island is often called Iran's 'black treasure' by geopolitical analysts, as it is the largest and most important terminal of the country's petroleum industry. This small coral island located in the northern Persian Gulf is located about 25 kilometers from the main Iranian coast and about 483 kilometers north-west of the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz. About 90 percent of Iran's total crude oil exports are sent abroad from this island, which is just 6 kilometers long. This is why it is considered the real lifeline of Iran's oil industry and the largest primary source of revenue for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). China's deep connection with Kharg Island and its impact on global geopolitics The scope of strategic importance of Kharg Island is not limited only to Iran, but it is also directly related to the global superpower China. China is the largest and major buyer of huge quantities of crude oil exported from this island. Through this oil trade, Iran not only gets huge financial revenues to run its economy, but also gets strong diplomatic and strategic support from China as a global superpower amidst the stringent sanctions of Western countries. In such a situation, if America or its allies carry out a major military attack on the oil facilities of Kharg Island, it is natural to anger China, which can turn this entire regional conflict into a major global cold war. Crude oil prices skyrocketed after the American attack. The first and direct impact of this atmosphere of military conflict and tension has been on the global markets. As soon as the American attack and Iran's reaction came to light, a huge surge in the prices of crude oil was recorded in the international market. On Monday, the prices of benchmark Brent Crude jumped and crossed the mark of $ 90.3 per barrel, while WTI Crude also increased to $ 84.98 per barrel. Apart from this, the prices of crude oil in the Indian Basket, which is considered relevant for developing countries like India, also remained at a high level of $ 89.52 per barrel. Rising oil prices have once again increased the risk of inflation in countries around the world, increasing the pressure on the global economy.
