While no deployment is imminent, experts warn of high operational risks and potential political fallout as the U.S. continues air and naval strikes against Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.
| Photo Credit:
ELOISA LOPEZ
President Donald
Trump’s administration is considering deploying thousands of
U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as
the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its
campaign against Iran, said a U.S. official and three people
familiar with the matter.
The deployments could help provide Trump with additional
options as he weighs expanding U.S. operations, with the Iran
war well into its third week.
Those options include securing safe passage for oil tankers
through the Strait of Hormuz, a mission that would be
accomplished primarily through air and naval forces, the sources
said. But securing the Strait could also mean deploying U.S.
troops to Iran’s shoreline, said four sources, including two
U.S. officials.
Reuters granted the sources anonymity to speak about
military planning.
The Trump administration has also discussed options to send
ground forces to Iran’s Kharg Island, the hub for 90% of Iran’s
oil exports, the three people familiar with the matter and
three U.S. officials said. One of the officials said such an
operation would be very risky. Iran has the ability to reach the
island with missiles and drones.
The United States carried out strikes against military
targets on the island on March 13 and Trump has threatened to
also strike its critical oil infrastructure. However, given its
vital role in Iran’s economy, controlling the island would
likely be viewed as a better option than destroying it, military
experts say.
Any use of U.S. ground troops – even for a limited mission –
could pose significant political risks for Trump, given low
support among the American public for the Iran campaign and
Trump’s own campaign promises to avoid entangling the U.S. in
new Middle East conflicts.
Trump administration officials have also discussed the
possibility of deploying U.S. forces to secure Iran’s stocks of
highly enriched uranium, one of the people familiar with the
matter said.
The sources did not believe a deployment of ground forces
anywhere in Iran was imminent but declined to discuss specifics
of U.S. operational planning. Experts say the task of securing
Iran’s uranium stockpiles would be highly complex and risky,
even for U.S. special operations forces.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said: “There has been no decision to send ground troops at this
time, but President Trump wisely keeps all options at his
disposal.
“The president is focused on achieving all of the defined
objectives of Operation Epic Fury: destroy Iran’s ballistic
missile
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