The Pentagon is preparing for a ground operation against Iran that could last weeks if US President Donald Trump decides to attack Tehran by ground, The Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing US officials.
According to the report, any operation would not involve a full-scale invasion but would instead focus on special operations missions and specific infantry ground operations.
The report also mentions that, due to the high risk that these operations would represent for American soldiers, it was unclear as of Saturday night if Trump would approve of such an operation.
“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made a decision,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about the report of a possible ground operation.
The report comes as an expeditionary force of 2,500 US Marines, accompanied by 2,500 sailors, arrived in the Middle East on Sunday aboard the USS Tripoli amphibious ready group, according to The New York Times.
The Washington Post also reported that the Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.
Kharg Island is possible objective of ground operation
Senior US officials told The Jerusalem Post last week that it appears there may be no alternative but for the United States to launch a ground military operation to seize the Iranian island of Kharg.
The US attacked military targets on the island back on March 13, with Trump saying that it decided to "spare" the oil infrastructure on the island.
Kharg is Iran's main oil processing site, with 90% of its exports passing through the island before being shipped.
A US official confirmed to the Post that “the US military has accelerated the deployment of thousands of Marines and Navy personnel to the Middle East.”
A smarter objective than Kharg Island
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the WaPo that a mission against Kharg Island "comes with significant peril."
“I just wouldn’t want to be in that small place with Iran’s ability to rain down drones and maybe artillery,” said Eisenstadt, a retired Army officer who served in Iraq, Israel, and Jordan.
According to his analysis, the best option would be to target Iran's coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz, a move that would reduce the Iranian capabilities of striking vessels navigating the Strait.
The US Central Command already targeted Iranian sites in the coastal areas of the Strait, with one operation done on March 18 using 5000-pound bombs to strike missile sites in the area.
"Hours ago, US forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM posted on X/Twitter after the attack.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
