The George Fuller construction company is credited with being the first company to manufacture Quonset huts on behalf of the US Navy in 1941. The exact inventor or designer isn’t known, but the design is based on the Nissen Hut design that originated from World War I.?
In World War II, the U.S. Navy needed buildings that could be quickly assembled and disassembled but could withstand the rigors of the military and the Quonset hut was created. In essence, the Quonset hut wasn’t necessarily invented but was a vast improvement of the Nissen Hut.?
Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean, in its farthest missile launch on record. Tehran is growing bolder in showing its ability to reach Europe, said an Israeli intelligence expert.
Meanwhile, Iran said its Natanz nuclear facility was attacked for the second time in the current war.
The reported airstrike came a day after President Trump said the U.S. is considering “winding down” its military operation in Iran, adding that other countries would need to police the Strait of Hormuz.
While the Iranian leadership currently possesses significant leverage for a deal with the U.S. if it chose to negotiate, it also holds a record of sticking to unrealistically rigid policies since the early days of the Islamic Republic, said Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of a book on U.S.-Iranian relations. Back during the Iran-Iraq war, Iran liberated every inch of its territory by 1982—but only agreed to a cease-fire with Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1988, after massive destruction and hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides, he noted.
Oil soared past $115 and European natural-gas prices surged more than 20% as attacks on Middle Eastern energy infrastructure fueled anxiety over supply.
Qatar said early Thursday that Iranian ballistic missiles caused extensive damage at its Ras Laffan industrial area, which houses a major hub for liquefied-natural gas. Those strikes came in response to an Israeli attack on a large Iranian gas field, South Pars, which prompted Iran’s president to warn of “uncontrollable consequences, the scope of which could engulf the entire world.”
is a strategic coral island in the northern Persian Gulf that serves as the "economic backbone" of Iran, handling roughly 90% of the country's crude oil exports.
On March 13, 2026, the island became a central flashpoint in the U.S.–Iran conflict when U.S. forces conducted a large-scale precision strike that "obliterated" approximately 90 military targets on the island.
Current Strategic Status (March 2026)
Military Strike: President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. targeted military installations, including naval mine and missile storage bunkers, to stop Iranian interference with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil Infrastructure: The island's critical oil export facilities were intentionally spared during the strike "for reasons of decency". However, the U.S. warned it would reconsider this decision if Iran continues to block international shipping lanes.
Ongoing Operations: Despite the military strikes, oil operations have continued, with tankers observed loading crude shortly after the attack.
Key Infrastructure & Capacity
Kharg Island is indispensable because much of Iran’s mainland coastline is too shallow for massive supertankers.
Export Volume: Historically handles 1.5 to 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd).
Loading Capacity: Features long jetties and deep-water berths capable of loading up to 10 supertankers simultaneously. Its maximum theoretical capacity is reported as 7 million bpd.
Storage: The island has storage tanks capable of holding approximately 30 million barrels of crude oil.
Geography & Administration
Location: Situated roughly 15 miles (24 km) off the coast of Iran and 34 miles (55 km) northwest of Bushehr.
Dimensions: Approximately 8 km (5 miles) long and 4–5 km (3 miles) wide.
Restrictions: Often called the "Forbidden Island," it is heavily fortified and administered by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Access is strictly limited to oil workers and military personnel, though a restrictive special tourist permit was introduced in 2026.
Resources: It is one of the few islands in the Persian Gulf with its own natural freshwater supply, which supports a local population of over 8,000 people and a population of wild gazelles.
Historical Significance
Archaeology: Home to a 2,400-year-old Achaemenid cuneiform inscription (discovered in 2007) that is central to the Persian Gulf naming dispute. It also contains ruins of a 7th-century Christian monastery and various rock-cut tombs.
Colonial History: Controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the Dutch East India Company in the 18th century, who built Fort Mosselstein.
Iran-Iraq War: During the 1980s, the island was repeatedly bombed by Iraq in an attempt to cripple Iran's economy, leading to extensive damage that was later rebuilt.
Markets in Asia and Europe tumbled on Monday, and U.S. futures were down, as a spike in oil prices reflected global fears of a prolonged U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Meanwhile, Iran projected defiance by naming a son of its slain supreme leader as his successor. Oil prices briefly surged early Monday to almost $120 per barrel, their highest level since the Covid pandemic, as President Trump’s plans for the next steps in the war, let alone its endgame, remained unclear, and Iran showed no sign of bowing to his demand for unconditional surrender.
