In recent weeks, Iran has been laying traps and moving military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in an attempt to prepare for a possible US operation to gain control of the island, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with US intelligence. Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf, is Iran’s primary hub for oil exports.
Senior US officials in recent days have been debating whether to launch a ground military operation there, since the military accelerates the deployment of thousands of Marines and Navy personnel to the region. However, US officials and military experts have noted that such a ground operation has significant risks involved, including large numbers of American casualties, per CNN.
How Kharg Island is being prepared for a possible US invasion
Kharg Island has been prepped for a possible US invasion. Layered defenses including “shoulder-fired, surface-to-air guided missile systems known as MANPADs” have been set up in recent weeks, sources said, as reported by The Jerusalem Post. Iran has been laying traps on the shorelines where US troops would land, like anti-personnel and anti-armor mines.
Some Trump allies have wondered whether there is a need to attempt such an operation. Many have noted that taking control of the island would not resolve problems relating to the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stronghold on the global energy market.
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According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), since the United States started its strikes on March 13, as many as 90 targets had been hit on the island, including “naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites.” Oil infrastructure had been spared “for reasons of decency,” per President Donald Trump.
Concerns about US invasion of Kharg Island
An Israeli source claimed that there is widespread concern that a US invasion of Kharg would lead to increased Iranian drone attacks and shoulder-fired missiles. This could in turn lead to American casualties.
“The hope is that they won’t take that risk and will instead fire at the oil fields, but there is no way to know,” he said.
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Meanwhile, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Adm. James Stavridis said that “Iranians are clever and ruthless. They will do everything they can to inflict maximum casualties on US forces both on the ships at sea, and especially once ground troops are anywhere in their sovereign territory.”
Stavridis serves as a CNN military analyst.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker’s warning against attacks
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned against attempts to occupy Iranian islands. He said in an X post, “Based on some data, Iran’s enemies, with the support of one of the regional countries, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands. All enemy movements are under the full surveillance of our armed forces. If they step out of line, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will, without restriction, become the target of relentless attacks.”
Ghalibaf warned earlier on Wednesday, March 25, that Iran is “closely monitoring all US movements in the region, especially troop deployments. What the generals have broke, the soldiers can’t fix; instead, they will fall victim to Netanyahu’s delusions. Do not test our resolve to defend our land.”
Kharg Island is roughly a third of the size of Manhattan, CNN said, meaning the US would need to deploy a substantial amount of troops to take control of the island. CNN’s sources also revealed that two Marine Expeditionary Units recently deployed to the region would probably be involved in the operation.
The units reportedly specialize in rapid-response amphibious landings, raids, and assault missions. Additionally, 1,000 more US soldiers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are expected to arrive in the Mideast.
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A source familiar with US military planning claimed that CENTCOM has had persistent overhead surveillance of Kharg Island. Therefore, the military has experienced both physical and environmental changes throughout the island.
Stavridis said that strikes in the past have degraded some of Kharg’s air and sea defenses, including HAWK surface-to-air missiles and Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns.
Gulf allies pushing back
Gulf allies are privately requesting President Trump not to deploy US troops on the ground to occupy the island or attempt to destroy Iran’s highly-enriched uranium previously believed to have been bombed by a US aircraft, CNN reported, citing a senior Gulf official. They are afraid that doing so could result in high casualties and a strong Iranian response against the Gulf states.
In fact, officials from Gulf countries are instead pressuring the US to dismantle Tehran’s ballistic missile program before the war ends.
In recent days, the Pentagon briefed officials from the region on the United States’ success in destroying Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles. It claimed that the US has nearly completed its target list, but has not yet given a concrete timeline.
According to Stavridis, considering an offshore blockade of Kharg would be one way of pressuring the Iranians. This would make it impossible to export the oil.
“This could be done without actually putting troops ashore,” he said.