Though President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States (US) has nearly achieved its objectives in Iran, his administration is planning weeks of ‘ground operations’ in the Middle East nation, a report by the Washington Post claimed. However, it will unlikely be a full scale invasion, and instead will focus on raids and seizing key areas.ย
Citing US officials, the report said the plan is yet to received Trump’s approval and it remains ‘uncertain’ whether he will grant his permission. It is worth mentioning that the US has deployed an additional 3,500 soldiers, including sailors and marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with transport and strike fighter aircraft in the region.ย
This is the largest deployment of US forces in the Middle East in around 20 years. “U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27. The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group,” the US Central Command said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
Raids near Strait of Hormuz, seizing Kharg Islands
Officials who spoke to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity said that under its plan, the US forces may conduct raids near the Strait of Hormuz to neutralise weapons that are threat to military and commercial shipping. They may also seize the Kharg Island, which is a crucial Iranian oil export hub in the region.ย
These objectives, the report said, will likely take “weeks, not months” to complete. But another official told the American media outlet that the potential timeline could take “a couple of months”. “We’ve looked at this. It’s been war-gamed. This is not last-minute planning,” the Washington Post quoted an official as saying.ย
Officials believe that these limited strikes will “embarrass” the current regime of Iran, which will create “valuable bargaining chips” for negotiations in the future. However, they have cautioned against safeguarding US forces who will hold the Iranian territories.ย
“You’ve got to provide cover for the people on Kharg Island. That’s the difficult task. Seizing it is not difficult. Protecting your guys once they are there is,” the Washington Post quoted an official as saying.
Iran’s warning and threat to US
With the Washington Post providing details about Pentagon’s plan for invasion, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday claimed that the US is preparing for ground invasions. He said the US is sending messages of negotiation and dialogue but is “secretly” planning ground invasions. However, he warned that Iranian forces are ready to “fire and punish” the US soldiers.ย
“The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack,” he said, as reported by The Times of Israel. “Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all.”
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