# Why does President Trump want Iran’s Kharg Island?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-in-the-world-6570991/why-does-president-trump-want-iran-s-kharg-island
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-in-the-world-6570991/why-does-president-trump-want-iran-s-kharg-island.md
Podcast: [What in the World](https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-in-the-world-6570991)
Published: 2026-06-12T13:30:00+00:00
Episode link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct8q5n
Audio file: http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0nrnvps.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-in-the-world-6570991/episodes/why-does-president-trump-want-iran-s-kharg-island
Duration seconds: 538

## Resource

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump threatened to take “total control" of Iran's oil and gas markets, and to seize Kharg Island. Just hours later though, he claimed an agreement to end the war with Iran was on the horizon and cancelled a third consecutive night of strikes. Mixed messaging from the US President on this conflict is nothing new - but the island at the centre of this latest dispute has a huge role to play. It’s a small, rocky outcrop off of Iran’s coast - but it’s importance for the country’s oil infrastructure- and now for President Trump - is huge. So why is Kharg Island so important? And why does President Trump want it? Ghoncheh Habibiazad, from the BBC’s Persian language service, joins us to unpack it all - and to explain what the consequences could be if President Trump decides to take the island. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Chelsea Coates and Emily Horler Editor: Verity Wilde

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## Transcript

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