Iran is bolstering security in and around Kharg Island, an offshore terminal which 90% of its crude oil exports pass, in preparation for a potential ground operation by the United States military.
The area has been fortified with troops, anti-armor mines, and Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, with Tehran vowing to inflict severe damage on intruders.
The U.S. is sending between one and three thousand more troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, where it already has 50,000 service members.
Although it remains unclear if the Pentagon will order troops to move into Iran, the deployment of more forces suggests a more aggressive approach is being considered to rein in the regime.
Iran’s military infrastructure has been degraded, but retaliatory strikes on Gulf states, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and soaring gas prices are pushing Washington to intensify pressure.
On Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran’s adversaries, with the assistance of a neighboring country, “are preparing to occupy one of our islands.”
“All enemy movements are under the full surveillance of our armed forces,” he wrote on X, warning that the vital infrastructure of the supporting regional nation will be attacked “if they step out of line.”
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace fumed on Wednesday after walking out of a House Armed Services briefing on Iran. “I will not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing,” she posted on X.
Mace said the justifications presented to the public regarding the war were not the same military objectives the lawmakers were briefed on today, adding that, “This gap is deeply troubling.”
At a press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rebuffed the claim that Israel dragged the U.S. into the war, calling it “canard” and “ridiculous.”
Iran fortifies Kharg Island amid potential US ground operation