HIBAPRESS
The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed American officials, that the Department of War (the Pentagon) is preparing for a possible ground operation in Iran, which may aim to occupy the Iranian island of Kharg.
The newspaper said that the operation, which is being studied, may take two months and will not be a comprehensive invasion, and may be limited to joint attacks by special operations forces and infantry units. One of the potential goals of the operation – according to what Al Jazeera correspondent in Washington, Murad Hashem, reported – is to control Kharg Island, from which 90% of Iranian oil is exported, and which also gives Tehran the ability to stop navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation also aims – according to what Hashem reported from the American newspaper – to destroy Iranian weapons on the Iranian coast, which President Donald Trump had previously announced would be completely destroyed. The newspaper talked about the risks that American soldiers will face during the operation, while White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the Pentagon is putting options before the President, and that these preparations do not mean that the President has made a decision. Trump had previously said that he had not yet made a decision to intervene on the ground in Iran, and that he would not inform anyone if he decided to take this step. His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also told his counterparts in the G7 that the United States is not planning any ground action in Iran. This possible operation faces rejection among American Democratic and some Republican lawmakers for fear of being drawn into a larger war, as Hashem said. The latest polls indicate that 62% of Americans reject any ground intervention in Iran, while 61% of them reject war in general, according to the Al Jazeera correspondent. In recent days, reports have talked about preparing for a wide-ranging strike in the event of the failure of the diplomatic track, in preparation for Trump to declare victory, and leaving the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the international community. (Al Jazeera)
