The Iranian government has chosen to burn natural gas after its oil export routes were blocked by a US maritime blockade. [AI Image]

The Iranian government has chosen to burn natural gas after its oil export routes were blocked by a US maritime blockade.

On the 27th (local time), YouTube Shorts broadcast 'CNN-News18' reported that intense flames were captured erupting from oil fields in Kharg Island and Khuzestan via satellite.

According to the report, although the fires are large enough to be observed from space, it is natural gas, not crude oil, that is burning. The report clarifies: △why Iran cannot simply shut down the wells, △why the natural gas is being burned, and △the storage crisis facing Iran's export infrastructure.

Since the Iranian strait was blocked by the US maritime blockade, Iranian crude oil has nowhere to go. Consequently, the Kharg Island terminal, which handles 90% of Iran's oil exports, is filling up hour by hour. Analysts predict that storage capacity will reach critical levels within the next 12 to 22 days.

The problem is not simple. Iran cannot simply halt production. This is because Iranian oil fields are not like modern shale oil fields where production can be turned on and off with a switch. They are ancient, low-pressure carbonate reservoirs, said to be among the most geologically unstable oil fields on Earth.

If production is halted, groundwater will infiltrate and the pressure will collapse. This would result in the permanent loss of a production capacity of up to 500,000 barrels per day. Not a temporary loss, but an irreversible one.

This was previously covered in a Hanmiilbo article on the 24th, titled "Maritime Blockade More Terrifying Than Bombing"... Jin Cummings' Analysis of 'America's Economic Retaliation'! feat. Kim Jung-rak.

In the report, American political columnist Jin Cummings had predicted, "Within days, the storage facilities on Kharg Island will be full, and Iran's vulnerable oil wells will be shut down."

Quoting Kim Jung-rak, CEO of CTM, he stated, "If an oil well is improperly shut down and not maintained with appropriate cement and structural management, it will require immense time and money to restart later, or in more severe cases, result in permanent damage."

As Hanmiilbo also reported, Iran ultimately had to make a choice. That choice was to burn the natural gas.

Every barrel of crude oil from these fields contains dissolved natural gas. Under normal circumstances, this gas would be processed and used domestically or exported. However, with the export infrastructure paralyzed and storage facilities full, normal operations have become impossible.

Therefore, Iran has chosen to intentionally burn off the gas from the Karun oil field across the Karun River. They are sacrificing one resource to protect another.

Iran possesses the world's second-largest natural gas reserves. This gas was intended to supply Pakistan, Iraq, and Asia.

As US President Donald Trump said, time is running out. While the flames themselves are not a collapse, this is Iran's desperate struggle for survival in a situation with no other options. Nevertheless, the Iranian government claims that the oil wells are being protected.