US officials are considering a plan to seize Iran’s Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub through which roughly 90 per cent of the country’s crude shipments pass, according to a Reuters report.
The development underscores the widening scope of military options being examined as the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran continues to escalate.
The report stated that the Trump administration has discussed the potential deployment of US ground forces to Kharg Island, describing the location as a strategic pressure point due to its central role in Iran’s energy exports.
Securing the island could significantly disrupt Tehran’s oil revenues and influence the broader trajectory of the conflict, the report indicated.
According to the report, discussions within the US military establishment have also included options to secure the Strait of Hormuz and expand operational capabilities in the region.
The agency reported that thousands of additional troops from the US Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division are expected to deploy to the Middle East, building capacity for potential future operations. It quoted one of the sources as saying that the Pentagon was set to send between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile, The New York Times quoted two Defence Department officials and reported that the Pentagon has ordered about 2,000 soldiers to deploy to the Middle East.
According to the Washington Post, written orders were approved for soldiers from the division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, along with headquarters personnel based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Officials familiar with the move said many of the troops are drawn from the Immediate Response Force, a highly prepared unit trained to deploy within 18 hours for missions such as securing key infrastructure, reinforcing embassies and supporting emergency evacuations.
The deployment decision follows weeks of speculation about whether the 82nd Airborne would be drawn into the conflict after its headquarters unit withdrew early from a training exercise in Louisiana when Trump approved a sustained bombing campaign against Iran, the report said.
MILITARY BUILDUP CONTINUES AMID DIPLOMATIC SIGNALS
Reuters reported that before the latest troop deployments, around 50,000 US personnel were already stationed in the Middle East.
The additional forces would significantly increase operational flexibility even though no final decision has been made to place troops inside Iran itself, according to sources cited by the agency.
The US military buildup comes even as Trump continues to signal openness to negotiations with Tehran.
Trump recently delayed threats to strike Iranian power plants, citing what he described as productive discussions, although Iranian officials denied that talks had taken place.
The conflict has already resulted in casualties among US forces, with 13 troops killed and 290 wounded since the start of US and Israeli military operations on February 28.
STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS OF TARGETING IRAN’S OIL EXPORT HUB
The potential seizure of Kharg Island reflects the increasing strategic focus on economic and logistical pressure points in the conflict.
Reuters reported that targeting infrastructure tied to Iran’s oil exports could alter the balance of the war, while also raising the risk of further escalation.
According to the Washington Post, the presence of the Immediate Response Force and other rapidly deployable units in the region suggests that US military planners are preparing for scenarios involving the capture or protection of critical infrastructure.
Source: News18