“Iran's fortifications on small islands near the Strait of Hormuz boost its power to control the key waterway, and reopening shipping there might require U.S. or allied forces to capture some of those same dots of land.
The importance of the islands such as Kharg, Qeshm and Abu Musa is coming into view as Iran causes an economic crisis by blocking most oil tankers from transiting the strait. Traffic has slowed to a trickle since the U.S.-Israeli air war on Iran began on Feb. 28.
"Navigation through the Hormuz Strait requires you to follow a certain route," said Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of Israeli military intelligence research and director of think tank Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. "This route goes between islands that are controlled by Iran."
Tehran has called its 19 islands in the 100-mile strait aircraft carriers, installing radar systems, airstrips and fuel depots, missile systems and naval launches for submarines and fast-attack boats.
Unlocking the strait promises to be the next phase of the war. An amphibious assault ship, the USS Tripoli, arrived in the region recently, ferrying elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is trained for operations such as taking control of islands in hostile territory.
Iran's most strategically important island, Kharg, is hundreds of miles northwest of the strait. Iran loads 90% of its crude oil at Kharg.
The U.S. launched an aircraft-and-missile assault on Kharg focused on eliminating its military installations. But the attack didn't touch the oil facilities, and market analysts said tankers continued to load at Kharg.
President Trump has spoken of seizing Kharg as leverage to compel the regime to lay off Hormuz. But taking Kharg would be difficult because it is large and located deep in Iranian territory. And there is no guarantee U.S. control of Kharg's oil facilities would force Iran's hand.
The largest island at the Hormuz Strait, Qeshm is critical for Iran's control of Hormuz. Another location for oil exports, Qeshm hosts a naval station and missiles in underground tunnels. It is also the site of a large desalination plant. Smaller islands near Qeshm are fortified with military structures.
Perhaps most directly tied to Hormuz transits, Larak is linked to Iran's monitoring of vessel traffic and a key military asset. Larak has housed a Russian-made satellite-communications-jamming system guarded by Iranian naval infantry and fast-attack vessels with antiship missiles, said Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center.
As Iran asserts new levels of control over the strait, Larak has been used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to monitor ship traffic, said Max Meizlish, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former sanctions-enforcement officer in the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. He described Larak as "the corridor's operational backbone."” [1]
1. World News: Islands Help Iran Tighten Grip Over Shipping Route. Areddy, James T; Ruiz, Roque; Rust, Max. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 03 Apr 2026: A6.
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