The administration of US President Donald Trump is discussing the possibility of sending thousands of additional troops to the Middle East as part of preparations for a new phase of operations against Iran.
Reuters agency reported this citing American officials and sources familiar with the situation.
Another option is the seizure of Khark Island located in the Persian Gulf. Approximately 90 percent of Iranian oil is exported from this island. However, experts consider this plan highly risky because the island is within the range of Iran's missiles and drones. In addition, support for war with Iran in American society is weak, and potential losses could further exacerbate the domestic political situation.
According to sources, the deployment of forces to secure the safety of Iran’s high enriched uranium reserves is also under discussion. Experts consider this mission very difficult even for the US special forces.
Next week, it is planned to send an expeditionary unit consisting of 2,000 marines to the region. Alongside this, the possibility of sending additional forces is also on the agenda.
A White House representative speaking on the condition of anonymity stated that no final decision has yet been made regarding the deployment of ground troops: “President Trump is carefully considering all options.”
Previously, Donald Trump declared that US troops have struck more than 7,000 targets in Iran. According to him, the main targets have been military and commercial facilities. Trump also stated that almost everything on Khark Island, except the oil facilities, has been destroyed and did not rule out the possibility of strikes on these facilities in the future.
The US leadership believes that the operation against Iran could conclude in the coming weeks. The White House had previously forecast the operation to last 4–6 weeks./KONKRET.az