Document #1241376
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Sources currently available to the DIRB
indicate that Khark Island, which is located in the Persian Gulf,
is significant to Iran for at least three major reasons.
First, the island plays a key role in the
export of Iranian oil. The oil terminal at Khark, which was the
"main export terminal for crude oil," became a target of Iraqi
attack during the Iran-Iraq War (Iran: A Country Study 1989,
154-55). Khark Island is still a major outlet for Iranian oil
export (Xinhua 16 Aug. 1992), and one source reports that an
expansion of the Khark oil terminal was being planned in February
1994 (Moneyclips 16 Feb. 1994).
Second, the island is the site of the Khark
Island Petrochemical Complex, which produces both for export and
domestic consumption (BBC Summary 17 Mar. 1992).
Finally, Khark Island is significant for
its military capabilities. According to Iran: A Country
Study, the island has naval facilities (1989, 256). The
attached BBC reports of 10 May 1990 and 15 September 1992 refer to
two naval manoeuvres in the vicinity of Khark Island.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 17
March 1992. "Iran; Production Figures for Khark Petrochemical
Complex." (NEXIS)
Iran: A Country Study. 1989. 4th
ed. Edited by Helen Chapin Metz. Washington, DC: Department of the
Army, pp. 154-55 and 256.
Moneyclips [London]. 16 February
1994. "'Khark-4' Oil Jetty Built by Iranian Experts." (NEXIS)
The Xinhua General Overseas News
Service. 16 August 1992. "Iran Boosts Oil Export, Petrochemical
Industry." (NEXIS)
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 15
September 1992. "Joint Military Exercises Staged in Northern
Persian Gulf." (NEXIS)
. 17 March 1992. "Iran; Production
Figures for Khark Petrochemical Complex." (NEXIS)
. 10 May 1990. "Iran in Brief; Naval
Manoeuvres in Gulf to Start on 13th May." (NEXIS)
Iran: A Country Study. 1989. 4th
ed. Edited by Helen Chapin Metz. Washington, DC: Department of the
Army, pp. 154-55 and 256.
Moneyclips [London]. 16 February
1994. "'Khark-4' Oil Jetty Built by Iranian Experts." (NEXIS)
The Xinhua General Overseas News
Service. 16 August 1992. "Iran Boosts Oil Export, Petrochemical
Industry." (NEXIS)