In recent weeks, Iran has set traps and moved additional military personnel and air defense assets to Kharg Island, preparing for a possible US operation to take control of the island, citing multiple sources familiar with US intelligence reports on the matter, CNN reports, writes UNN.
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The Trump administration considered using US troops to seize the tiny island in the northeastern Persian Gulf — an economic lifeline for Iran that handles approximately 90% of the country's oil exports — as leverage to pressure the Iranians to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported.
Trump plans to seize Kharg Island to unblock the Strait of Hormuz - media20.03.26, 17:05
But US officials and military experts say such a ground operation would carry significant risks, including a high number of US casualties. "The island has multi-layered defenses, and the Iranians have moved additional portable surface-to-air missile systems, known as MANPADS, there in recent weeks," sources said.
"Iran is also setting traps, including anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, around the island," sources said, "particularly on the coastline where US forces could conduct an amphibious landing if President Donald Trump launches a ground operation."
Some allies of the US president are raising serious questions about the need to attempt such an operation, as successfully seizing the island alone would not solve the problems related to the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's stranglehold on the global energy market, the source added.
US Central Command declined to comment on Iran's actions regarding Kharg.
An Israeli source said there was concern that taking control of Kharg would lead to attacks by Iranian drones and portable missile systems, resulting in casualties among US troops. "There is hope that they will not take risks and instead shell oil fields, but there is no way to know," the source said.
Iran's parliament speaker on Wednesday warned the country's "enemies" against attempting to occupy any Iranian islands.
"According to some reports, Iran's enemies, with the support of one of the countries in the region, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands," Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X. "All enemy movements are under the full supervision of our armed forces. If they go beyond the limits, all vital infrastructure of that country in the region will become the target of relentless attacks without restrictions."
Earlier on Wednesday, Ghalibaf said: "We are closely monitoring all US movements in the region, especially troop deployments."
Kharg Island is approximately one-third the size of Manhattan, meaning the US would have to deploy a powerful amphibious force to seize the island if it were to proceed with such an operation, a person familiar with US military planning told CNN. It is located at the very northern end of the Persian Gulf, further from the Strait of Hormuz, but critically close to Iranian oil facilities.
Two Marine Expeditionary Units, specializing in rapid response amphibious operations, raids, and assault operations from Navy amphibious ships, have recently been deployed to the Middle East. These units include several thousand Marines, as well as amphibious ships, aviation assets, and landing craft. According to sources, "they would most likely be involved in an operation to seize Kharg." Approximately 1,000 US soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division are also expected to be deployed to the region in the coming days.
At the same time, Reuters, citing sources, notes that the Pentagon plans to send thousands of paratroopers to the Persian Gulf to give Trump more options for ordering a ground offensive, in addition to the two Marine contingents already en route. The first Marine unit aboard a massive amphibious assault ship could arrive by the end of the month.
Iran could open a new front at the mouth of the Red Sea if attacks are carried out on its territory, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday, citing an unnamed military source. The source said Iran is capable of posing a "real threat" in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located between Yemen and Djibouti.
US prepares 82nd Airborne Division and deploys aviation for possible strikes on Iran25.03.26, 04:17
Another person familiar with US military planning told CNN that US Central Command has been observing Kharg Island from above almost constantly and continuously, so the military has been able to see both physical and environmental changes in areas where traps appeared to have been set.
US forces would still be vulnerable to Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks, given the island's proximity to the Iranian coast, and Trump officials are still trying to understand whether a ground mission is worth the risk, according to a source familiar with internal administration discussions on the matter.
The US maintains plans to quickly destroy sensitive information and infrastructure if American facilities and military posts abroad are captured, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. According to the source, it is entirely logical that Iran may have similar plans.
Gulf allies are also privately urging the Trump administration not to pursue war by putting troops on the ground to occupy Kharg Island or remove Iran's highly enriched uranium from a nuclear facility previously bombed by US aircraft, a senior Gulf official said. The concern is that an occupation of Kharg Island by US forces would lead to heavy casualties, likely provoking Iranian retaliation against Gulf infrastructure and prolonging the conflict, the senior Gulf official said.
Instead, Gulf countries are pressing US officials on the need to eliminate Iran's ballistic missile program before the conflict ends, which US officials agree with. In recent days, the Pentagon has informed Gulf countries that a significant portion of Iran's ballistic and cruise missile capabilities have been destroyed, and that the US is close to completing its target list, without specifying a timeline, the official said.
Retired Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, now a CNN military analyst, said one possible way to pressure the Iranians is to consider a blockade of Kharg offshore, which would make oil exports impossible. "This can be done without actually putting troops ashore," he said.
US to launch ground operation in Iran soon - Media26.03.26, 02:18