Might U.S. assault Iran’s Kharg Island because it sends extra troops?
A satellite tv for pc view of Qeshm Island in Hormozgan Province, Iran, inside the Strait of Hormuz area on January 17, 2026.
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The U.S. is making ready to ship hundreds extra troops to the Center East, prompting hypothesis a couple of floor assault on Iran amid conflicting accounts of peace talks.
The Pentagon is reportedly making ready to ship about 3,000 troops from the Military’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Center East, alongside two Marine Expeditionary Items, to help army operations in Iran.
Navy consultants mentioned that the variety of further troops being deployed to the area seems to be in line with plans for discrete and time-limited operations — reasonably than a sustained floor marketing campaign.
It places two strategic Iranian islands within the highlight and raises questions on a possible transfer to grab the Islamic Republic’s nuclear supplies.
“All bulletins relating to troop deployments will come from the Division of Conflict. As we’ve got mentioned, President Trump all the time has all army choices at his disposal,” White Home spokesperson Anna Kelly instructed CNBC in an emailed assertion.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s transfer on Thursday to offer Iran a 10-day extension to open the strategically important Strait of Hormuz appeared to mood the speedy prospect of a U.S. floor incursion. The president mentioned he would pause assaults on Iran’s power infrastructure by way of to April 6, including that talks with Tehran have been “going very properly.”
Retired U.S. Military Lt. Col. Daniel Davis estimated that there have been probably solely round 4,000 to five,000 “set off pullers” or floor troops being deployed.
“That is sufficient to seize a small goal for a time period. You have to perceive, even the 82nd Airborne Division, it is a direct response drive to offer very fast response on the bottom however solely upfront of one thing greater coming in behind that,” Davis, a senior fellow and army professional at Protection Priorities, instructed CNBC’s “Squawk Field Asia” on Thursday.
“I’ve seen no proof that any type of a drive of measurement has been even thought-about, a lot much less alerted, ready, geared up, educated up that you’d must go. … That takes months of time to do.”
Qeshm Island, Kharg Island and nuclear supplies
Davis mentioned that, from the restricted variety of floor troops being deployed, there have been three prospects that the U.S. may theoretically execute.
The primary chance is seizing Qeshm Island, which sits “within the horseshoe bend of the Strait of Hormuz,” Davis mentioned.
Qeshm Island, off Iran’s southern coast, is the biggest island within the Persian Gulf. Situated close to the Strait of Hormuz, the arrow-shaped island has emerged as a possible U.S. goal amid experiences that anti-ship missiles, mines, drones and assault craft are being stored there in underground tunnels.
Davis mentioned the second goal could possibly be Kharg Island, the centerpiece of Iran’s oil trade, whereas a 3rd state of affairs is a raid to seize greater than 400 kilograms of reprocessed materials, supplied the U.S. can find this and it’s sufficiently concentrated to make a raid viable.
Also known as its “oil lifeline,” Kharg Island is a coral island situated about 15 miles off the coast of mainland Iran.
It’s estimated that round 90% of the nation’s crude exports go by way of it earlier than tankers then journey by way of the Strait of Hormuz. The island’s financial significance to Iran makes it significantly weak to the specter of army motion, though analysts say seizing it might probably require a floor troop operation, which the U.S. has beforehand appeared reluctant to undertake.
“The general concept is to disclaim Iran’s capabilities to make use of these islands,” Kevin Donegan, retired vice admiral and former commander of the U.S. Navy’s fifth Fleet, instructed CNBC’s “Morning Name” on Wednesday.
“Rather a lot can come at you from mines and missiles and cruise missiles … however a variety of that has been eradicated already or considerably degraded. So, the mission is completely executable. The true query is how lengthy will it take to do it and when can circulate be restored,” he added.
One among Tehran’s prime lawmakers mentioned Wednesday that they have been anticipating a possible assault from “Iran’s enemies” to attempt to occupy one in all its islands.
“All enemy actions are below the total surveillance of our armed forces,” Iran’s speaker of parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, mentioned on X, in line with a Google translation.
“In the event that they step out of line, all of the important infrastructure of that regional nation will, with out restriction, turn into the goal of relentless assaults,” he added.
The U.S. forces aren’t for preventing extended land wars
Ruben Stewart, senior fellow for land warfare on the Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research, or IISS, assume tank, mentioned the variety of U.S. forces making ready to be deployed was not in line with a sustained floor marketing campaign.
“What’s notably absent are the heavy armoured models, logistics depth, and command buildings required for a protracted land warfare. In sensible phrases, it is a drive that may act shortly and selectively, however not one that would maintain operations deep inside Iran or over an prolonged interval,” Stewart instructed CNBC by e mail.
“Seizing Kharg Island is technically possible however escalatory, given its centrality to Iran’s oil exports. In contrast, securing Iran’s nuclear materials could be the least life like with this drive as it might require a far bigger, sustained floor presence,” he added.
A person holds an Iranian flag exhibiting the faces of Iran’s late and new Supreme Leaders Ali and Mojtaba Khamenei alongside Enghelab (Revolution) Sq. in central Tehran on March 25, 2026.
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The comparatively restricted degree of deployment was maybe finest understood as a software of coercive leverage, Stewart mentioned, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to extend its bargaining energy and sign that it has choices if diplomacy fails.
