The deployments could help provide Trump with additional options but would further entrench the US in a foreign war, the like of which he has repeatedly promised never to do.
President Donald Trump’s administration is considering deploying thousands of troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the United States military prepares for possible next steps in its war against Iran, Reuters news agency has reported, quoting a US official and three people familiar with the matter.
The deployments could help provide Trump with additional options as he weighs expanding US operations, with the Iran war well into its third week, Reuters reported on Thursday, at the same time further entrenching the US in a foreign war, the like of which he had repeatedly promised never to do.
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The US operations being contemplated 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 US troops to Iran’s shoreline, said four sources, including two US officials. Reuters granted the sources anonymity to speak about military planning.
The Trump administration has also discussed options to send ground forces to Iran’s Kharg island, the hub for 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports, the three people familiar with the matter and three US 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 island was hit in US attacks on Saturday, but Iranian officials said afterwards that exports were continuing normally and there had been no casualties.
Trump threatened further strikes on Iran’s Kharg island and urged allies to deploy warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway critical for global energy supplies, as Tehran promised to intensify its response.
Regarding Kharg island, Trump told the NBC News broadcaster on Saturday, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.”
‘All options at his disposal’
Any use of US 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 US in new Middle East conflicts.
Trump administration officials have also discussed the possibility of deploying US 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 US operational planning. Experts say the task of securing Iran’s uranium stockpiles would be highly complex and risky, even for US special operations forces.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “There has been no decision to send ground troops at this time, but President Trump wisely keeps all options at his disposal.
“The president is focused on achieving all of the defined objectives of Operation Epic Fury: destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capacity, annihilate their navy, ensure their terrorist proxies cannot destabilise the region, and guarantee that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
The Pentagon declined to comment, Reuters said.
The discussions come as the US military continues to attack Iran’s navy, its missile and drone stockpiles, and its defence industry.
The US has carried out more than 7,800 strikes since launching the war on February 28 and damaged or destroyed more than 120 Iranian vessels so far, according to a fact sheet released on Wednesday by the US Central Command, which oversees the roughly 50,000 US soldiers in the Middle East.
