US weighs high-stakes airborne assault to seize Iran’s Kharg island

WEB DESK: According to reports in the New York Times citing American defence sources, the Pentagon is drafting plans for a ground intervention on the island, situated 25 kilometres off the Iranian coast.

While US forces previously struck military targets on the island in mid-March, they pointedly avoided energy infrastructure.

However, as the conflict between the US-Israeli coalition and the Islamic Republic enters its fourth week, Washington is now considering a direct occupation of the hub to achieve total economic strangulation.

A logistic gamble amid retaliation threats

The proposed operation would likely involve 3,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne’s “Immediate Response Force,” known for its ability to deploy globally within 18 hours.

Internal discussions also suggest utilising 2,500 troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently en route to the Middle East, to provide the heavy equipment and staying power paratroopers lack.

Despite the strategic lure, the plan has drawn sharp internal criticism. Joe Kent, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who resigned in protest against the war, warned the Washington Post that the move would be a “disaster,” essentially handing Iran a “bunch of hostages” vulnerable to drone and missile barrages.

Tehran has already issued a scorched-earth warning, vowing to set regional oil facilities “on fire” and mine the Strait of Hormuz should the island be targeted.