USA ready for landing in the Persian Gulf? The Pentagon is planning a land strike against Iran

The Pentagon has been preparing plans for ground operations in Iran for weeks, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. The planned actions – which have not yet been approved by the White House – are expected to take several weeks, although they are not expected to constitute a full-scale invasion.

According to the newspaper, which cites American officials, potential actions on land would include airstrikes involving special forces and regular infantry. The scenarios discussed in the Trump administration include: the seizure of Khark Island in the Persian Gulf, where the main export terminal for Iranian oil and gas is located. Other possibilities include landing on coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to find and destroy weapons that could be used to attack merchant and military ships.

One source said it would likely take “weeks, not months” to achieve the contemplated goals. Another put the potential duration of surgery at “a couple of months.”

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that a decision on the use of ground troops had not yet been made.

“The Pentagon's task is to prepare to give the commander-in-chief maximum decision-making freedom. This does not mean that the president has made a decision,” she said.

Trump last week appeared to rule out sending ground troops to Iran, but a week later Leavitt threatened that the president was “ready to unleash hell” if Iran did not make peace as part of ongoing negotiations. On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that the US is able to achieve all its goals without the involvement of forces on land.

In recent days, thousands of American soldiers, including those from the Marine Corps, have arrived in the Middle East. More troops are on their way.

Axios and the Wall Street Journal have also reported in recent days that the administration is considering sending another 10,000 ground troops to the Middle East, adding to those already stationed there.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

osk/ sp/