The United States is quietly assembling the pieces for a ground war in Iran. According to US officials cited by The Washington Post, the Pentagon is preparing contingency plans for weeks of limited ground operations that could include raids on Kharg Island — Iran’s main oil export terminal — and strikes against coastal weapons sites threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The plans fall short of a full-scale invasion. But they represent a dramatic escalation from the air and missile campaign that has defined the first five weeks of the conflict. If approved, American boots would touch Iranian soil for the first time in the history of the two nations’ hostilities.
Forces in position
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in the Gulf on March 27 aboard the USS Tripoli, bringing approximately 4,500 Marines along with transport and strike fighter aircraft, amphibious assault vehicles, and tactical assets. Separately, thousands of soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are being deployed to the region — a unit whose presence signals the possibility of rapid forced-entry operations.
US Central Command confirmed that approximately 3,500 additional troops arrived in the Middle East this week, bringing the total US force in the region to its highest level since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft are already flying missions against Iranian coastal defences, and Apache attack helicopters have been spotted at forward operating bases in Bahrain and Qatar.
The Kharg Island scenario
Kharg Island sits 25 kilometres off Iran’s southern coast and handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude oil exports. Seizing it would cripple Iran’s economy and give Washington an extraordinary piece of leverage in any future negotiations. It would also be the most aggressive American military operation since the fall of Baghdad.
Defence officials told The Washington Post that discussions within the administration have touched upon a possible seizure of the island as well as raids into other coastal areas to find and destroy weapons capable of targeting commercial and military shipping. The plans envision special operations forces and conventional infantry working in concert.
White House hedges
“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the president has made a decision,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. That is technically true. But the gap between “preparing options” and “launching operations” is measured in hours, not weeks.
The political logic is not hard to follow. Trump has spent a week threatening to “take the oil” and “obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Oil is above $116. Every day the blockade continues, the global economic damage compounds. A limited ground operation to seize Kharg Island and reopen the strait would let Trump claim a decisive military victory while avoiding the quagmire of a full invasion.
The risks are enormous. Iran has fortified its coastline with anti-ship missiles, naval mines, and fast-attack boats. A contested amphibious landing on Kharg Island could produce significant American casualties. And any ground operation — however “limited” it is described in the planning documents — has a way of expanding beyond its original parameters. Every war planner in the Pentagon knows this. Whether the commander in chief does is another question entirely.