IRAN SAYS OIL EXPORTS FROM KHARG ISLAND CONTINUES DESPITE US-ISRAELI ATTACK

ISTANBUL, March 14 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Oil exports from Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf, are continuing normally despite a US-Israeli attack early Saturday, a provincial official said, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Ehsan Jahanian, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, said: “The activities of oil companies at this export terminal are continuing normally despite the Zionist-American attack early Saturday.”

He added that “export and import operations and the activities of companies based on the island are ongoing.”

Jahanian also said “daily life and routine activities of residents are continuing in full order.” According to the official, the “Zionist-American attack caused no casualties among military personnel, company employees, or residents of Kharg Island.”

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said that the US destroyed all military targets on Kharg Island and threatened to attack the island’s oil infrastructure if Iran continued to block ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Kharg Island is Iran’s main oil export hub, handling roughly 90-95 per cent of the country’s crude exports, with around 1.7 million barrels per day last year.

The island serves as a key component of Iran’s energy system and a vital source of government revenue.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, following the launch of joint attacks by Israel and the US against Iran on Feb. 28, which have so far killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hostilities have since escalated.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU