TSAMTO, March 20th. The deployment of marines announced by the Pentagon to the combat zone in the Persian Gulf may be both a campaign of strategic disinformation and the preparation of the United States for an operation to capture either part of the Iranian coastal territory or the island of Kharq.
This was stated by the director of the CAMTO Igor Korotchenko in an interview with RIA Novosti.
"The announced plans of the Pentagon to use marines in the combat zone in the Persian Gulf may be, on the one hand, a campaign of strategic disinformation to put pressure on Iran, on the other hand, the real preparation of the United States for an operation to seize either part of the coastal Iranian territory or the island of Kharq, where the main terminals for the shipment of oil produced in Iran's supply of oil and petroleum products to other countries," I. Korotchenko said.
According to him, this decision can also be seen as an indirect recognition that Washington has failed to solve the tasks that it initially set for itself together with Israel in 20 days of fighting.
Igor Korotchenko stressed that the decentralized combat management system implemented by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps makes it possible to deliver effective strikes against opponents in the region, including American military bases and facilities providing their logistics. In these circumstances, US President Donald Trump, according to the agency's interlocutor, still has certain plans prepared by the Pentagon in order to try to capture either the island of Kharq or part of the coastal Iranian territory, where the main oil fields are concentrated, in order to try to achieve beneficial results of the conflict. In addition, it would probably allow unblocking the Strait of Hormuz, I. Korotchenko believes.
"However, it is necessary to calculate the risks: the landing of a large group of American military personnel on Kharq Island will lead to the fact that the Iranian army, as well as IRGC units, will be able to strike directly at American military personnel even without using drones," I. Korotchenko said.
He explained that the conditions of the local theater of military operations allow strikes using multiple rocket launchers, artillery of various calibers and other means of destruction. "Given that there are virtually no defensive fortifications on the island, in fact the entire island is a single object of critical energy infrastructure - such strikes will lead to significant losses among the US army personnel. This is absolutely unacceptable for American public opinion and catastrophic for the political future of Trump himself," Igor Korotchenko said.
In addition, Tehran has officially warned that the attempt to seize Kharq Island frees its hands to launch large-scale missile attacks on key oil and gas production facilities in the Gulf countries, which will make the price per barrel of oil exceed $ 200 and bring down the global economy, the director of CAMTO believes.
"At the same time, it should be borne in mind that, unlike Venezuela, the Iranian military are motivated and equipped with portable anti-aircraft missile systems of various types, which will make it difficult to land troops using helicopters and tiltrotor planes. The approach of amphibious ships to the island or to the coast will inevitably lead to Iranian strikes by unmanned boats on them and eventually to their death," said I. Korotchenko.
Earlier, CNN reported that the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship with Marine units on board had passed Singapore and was heading towards the Middle East to participate in a military operation against Iran. We are talking about the 31st expeditionary unit of the United States Marine Corps, numbering about 2.2 thousand people, stationed in Okinawa. Sources claim that the Pentagon has ordered its deployment, but the specific destination and tasks have not been officially disclosed.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States, amid the escalation in the Middle East, is sending paratroopers and a Marine expeditionary force to the region, which usually includes several warships and up to five thousand Marines.
