Kish Island

Kish Island is a small Iranian island in the strait of Hormuz, roughly 19km off Iran's southern coast, administered as a free-trade zone since 1989. It is one of Iran's leading duty-free shopping and tourism destinations, drawing domestic visitors under visa-free entry rules distinct from the mainland. The island has an international airport and hosts hotels and an aquarium alongside Iran's principal offshore financial and logistics free zone, positioned to attract foreign investment despite decades of sanctions.

CENTCOM struck Kish Island on the night of 13-14 July, part of a fourth consecutive night of strikes that also hit Bandar Abbas, Sirik, the Abadan refinery, Mahshahr and Qeshm Island. The strike extended the air campaign to a free-trade zone with no prior military role in the war, on the same day the US reimposed its naval blockade on the strait of Hormuz.