U.S. forces just launched precision airstrikes against Iranian military targets on Larak Island. The target sits at the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz. The White House recently announced a strict financial campaign to isolate Iran. Yet finance cannot stop a missile. The U.S. Navy spent weeks clearing Iranian sea mines from international shipping routes. Days later, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rolled out new mine-launchers. Surveillance caught crews preparing a launch. U.S. Central Command ordered a preemptive strike to save global trade routes. The tactical strike wiped out the platforms.
However, Tehran did not back down. The Revolutionary Guard quickly fired a wave of ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. bases in Jordan. Air defenses intercepted most of the weapons targeting Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. Simultaneously, American forces had to destroy cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island. This escalation reveals Iran’s broader strategy. Tehran uses a network of militarized islands to choke the global economy.
But this confrontation raises a much bigger strategic question: Is Kharg Island next?
Located roughly 500 kilometers, or about 511 miles, north of the strait, Kharg Island is not a Hormuz island. It is the absolute crown jewel of Iran’s energy economy, historically handling roughly 90% of the regime’s crude oil exports. While American forces trade blows with the Revolutionary Guard in the south, Tehran continues to use Kharg Island to fund its entire war machine. Striking Larak Island alters the immediate layout of the Strait, but as long as Kharg Island remains operational, the regime retains the financial lifeline needed to rebuild its weapons caches. If the White House wants to stop the threat permanently, Kharg Island will inevitably end up in the crosshairs.
Iran’s southern island fortresses host anti-ship missiles, fast-attack boats, and air defenses. Larak Island commands the narrowest transit lanes where forces use bunkers to store and deploy sea mines. Nearby Qeshm Island acts as the central naval command center with vast underground bases and mobile coastal batteries. The strategic footprint also relies heavily on Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb. The Revolutionary Guard has aggressively fortified these outposts since seizing them from the United Arab Emirates in 1971. Iran has transformed these contested territories from sleepy maritime rocks into heavily armed gatekeepers. They host concrete airfields, anti-aircraft batteries, and coastal artillery designed to hold passing container ships hostage. Meanwhile, Hormuz and Hengam Islands serve as forward staging posts to supply fuel, radar target tracking, and ammunition to the Guard’s fast-attack fleets.
The global economy is already paying the price. Oil prices surged past $90 a barrel. Maritime insurance rates are spiking. Commercial fleets are dropping anchor to avoid the crossfire. The Strait of Hormuz handles over 20% of the world’s petroleum supply every single day. Prolonged gridlock is not an option. It will trigger massive supply chain disruptions, hitting American gas stations and driving up global inflation.
This crisis exposes the fatal flaw of relying solely on economic sanctions. Financial deterrence moves at the speed of bureaucracy. It takes months or years for banking restrictions to drain a rogue regime’s treasury. By contrast, a physical threat moves at the speed of a supersonic cruise missile. When an adversary is actively fueling a launcher on a nearby beach, paper sanctions offer zero protection for American service members or international merchant mariners. Armed threats require rapid, physical solutions.
OMAN IS BUILDING IRAN’S ULTIMATE SANCTIONS BACK DOOR
America cannot police these waters alone. Our allies must step up immediately. America’s Gulf partners must cut the supply lines. The UAE and regional navies must enforce a strict maritime blockade around these islands. They must block the Guard from moving weapons from the mainland to the islands. The regional allies must integrate their air defenses. Jordan and Gulf partners saved American lives by intercepting missiles. Still, defensive shield tactics eventually drain ammunition supplies. Allies must share real-time radar data and deploy electronic jamming to kill drone signals at the launch pads. Finally, European and Asian nations must deploy warships. These countries rely heavily on Gulf oil. They must provide direct naval escorts to secure the shipping channels.
The Larak Island strike was a necessary defensive action. Reactive bombing is not enough. America and its allies must permanently neutralize Iran’s island fortresses to secure lasting peace.
Eric Wargotz, M.D., is a political and policy analyst, a former U.S. Senate nominee, and clinical professor emeritus at The George Washington University. The views expressed here are entirely his own.