US weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase
Richard Smith
-Trump considers deploying troops to Middle East -Options include securing Strait of Hormuz and Kharg Island -Deployment of ground forces could anger parts of Trump's base
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.
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.