CNN: Iran fortifies Kharq Island in case of an attempt to capture it by the United States
Iran is strengthening the defense of Kharq Island in case of an attack by the US Armed Forces, CNN reports. It is noted that Washington is considering seizing the island in order to turn it into a lever of pressure on Tehran and force the country to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Kylie Atwood, Tal Shalev
According to several sources familiar with American intelligence reports, Iran has laid mines around the island of Kharq over the past few weeks and deployed additional troops and air defenses there in preparation for a possible US operation to capture the island.
According to CNN, the Trump administration is considering using American troops to capture this small island in the northeastern part of the Persian Gulf, Iran's economic artery through which about 90% of the country's oil exports pass. This step should encourage the Islamic Republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Nevertheless, according to American officials and military experts, such a ground operation carries significant risks, including a large number of casualties among American military personnel. A multi-level defense system has been created on the island, and over the past weeks, the Iranians have deployed additional man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) there, the sources said.
In addition, Iran is installing mines, including anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, around the island and on the coastline where the US military can land.
The sources add that some of the president's allies express serious doubts about the expediency of such an operation, since seizing the island by itself will not solve the problems associated with the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's dominance in the global energy market.
The US Central Command declined to comment on Iran's actions in Iraq.
The US military had already launched strikes on the island on March 13; the Central Command said it had managed to hit 90 targets, including "naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and many other military installations." Trump announced the attack, saying that American troops "for reasons of decency" avoided strikes on the island's oil infrastructure.
A source in Israel said there were fears that the capture of Kharq Island would lead to Iranian military strikes using drones and man-portable missile systems, resulting in the death of American soldiers. "There is hope that they will not take such a risk and will instead shell oil fields, but no one knows for sure," the source said.
"I would be very worried about this," said retired Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, who now works as a military analyst for CNN. "Iranians are smart and ruthless. They will do everything in their power to cause maximum damage to American troops both on ships at sea and after they land anywhere in the country."
On Wednesday, the speaker of the Iranian parliament warned the country's "enemies" about attempts to occupy any Iranian islands.
"According to some reports, Iran's enemies, with the support of an ally in the region, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands," Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on Twitter. "The Iranian armed forces are in full control of all enemy actions. If they cross the line, the entire vital infrastructure of this U.S. ally will become a target for relentless attacks without limits."
Earlier on Wednesday, Ghalibaf said: "We are closely monitoring all American actions in the region, especially the deployment of troops."
Kharg Island is about three times the size of Manhattan, which means that in order to capture it, the United States will have to deploy significant amphibious forces if they decide to conduct such an operation, a source familiar with the plans of the US military told CNN. The island is located in the very north of the Persian Gulf, far from the Strait of Hormuz, but in close proximity to Iranian oil facilities.
Two Marine expeditionary groups specializing in rapid response operations, amphibious landings, raids, and assault operations from Navy amphibious ships have recently been deployed to the Middle East. These groups include several thousand Marines, as well as amphibious ships, aircraft, and amphibious boats. According to sources, they are the ones who are most likely to be involved in the operation to capture Kharq Island. About 1,000 American soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army are also expected to arrive in the region in the coming days.
Another source familiar with the plans of the US military said that the Central Command is almost continuously conducting aerial surveillance of the island. Thanks to this, the military can monitor both physical and environmental changes in areas where barriers are likely to be installed.
According to Stavridis, the US military's strikes on the island have damaged some elements of its air and naval defenses, including HAWK missile systems and Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns.
However, according to a source familiar with the discussions within the administration on this issue, American troops will still be vulnerable to attacks from Iranian ballistic missiles and UAVs, given the proximity of the island to the Iranian coast. Trump administration officials are still trying to decide whether to take the risk and launch a ground operation.
The United States is not abandoning plans to quickly destroy classified information and infrastructure in the event of the seizure of American facilities and military bases abroad, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. According to him, it is quite logical to assume that Iran may have similar plans.
Gulf allies are also privately urging Trump not to prolong the war by sending troops to Kharq Island to occupy it or to seize highly enriched uranium at an Iranian nuclear facility that was previously bombed, a senior representative of one of the Gulf countries said. Concerns are related to the fact that the occupation of the island by American troops will lead to heavy losses, which is likely to provoke Iran to retaliate against the infrastructure of the Persian Gulf countries and prolong the conflict.
Instead, the Gulf states insist on the need to eliminate Iran's ballistic missile program before the conflict ends, which American officials agree with. Recently, the Pentagon informed the Gulf states that a significant part of Iran's ballistic and cruise missile capabilities has been destroyed and that the United States is close to fulfilling all its tasks. However, no specific dates are specified, the official said.
Stavridis said that one of the possible ways to put pressure on Iran could be the naval blockade of Kharq Island, which would make oil exports impossible. "It is possible to exert pressure without landing troops on the shore," he said.
