Iran has been laying traps and moving military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks to prepare for a possible US operation to gain control of the island, reported CNN on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with US intelligence.
Located in the Persian Gulf, Kharg Island serves as Iran’s primary hub for oil exports. Senior US officials have debated over the past few days whether to launch a ground military operation there as the military accelerates the deployment of thousands of Marines and Navy personnel to the region.
US officials and military experts have warned, however, that there are significant risks involved with such a ground operation, including large numbers of American casualties, said CNN.
The island has been prepped for possible US invasion, with layered defenses including "shoulder-fired, surface-to-air guided missile systems known as MANPADs" being set up in recent weeks, according to the sources. Iran has also been laying traps, such as anti-personnel and anti-armor mines, on the shorelines where US troops would land.
Some of US President Donald Trump's allies have questioned whether there is a need to attempt such an operation, considering that taking control of the island would not resolve problems relating to the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's subsequent stronghold on the global energy market.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that 90 targets had been hit on the island, including “naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites," since the US began its strikes there on March 13. Oil infrastructure had been spared "for reasons of decency," according to Trump.
An Israeli source said there is concern that a US invasion of Kharg would lead to increased Iranian drone attacks and shoulder-fired missiles, which would lead to American casualties. “The hope is that they won’t take that risk and will instead fire at the oil fields, but there is no way to know,” he said.
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Adm. James Stavridis said that “Iranians are clever and ruthless. They will do everything they can to inflict maximum casualties on US forces both on the ships at sea, and especially once ground troops are anywhere in their sovereign territory," adding that he would be very worried about this.
Stavridis currently serves as a CNN military analyst.
Ghalibaf warns against attacks
Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned against any attempts to occupy Iranian islands.
In a post on X/Twitter, he said, “Based on some data, Iran’s enemies, with the support of one of the regional countries, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands. All enemy movements are under the full surveillance of our armed forces. If they step out of line, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will, without restriction, become the target of relentless attacks.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Ghalibaf had warned that Iran is "closely monitoring all US movements in the region, especially troop deployments.”
CNN explained that Kharg Island is roughly a third of the size of Manhattan. This means that the US would have to deploy a substantial amount of troops to take control of the island, a person familiar with US military planning said.
Two Marine Expeditionary Units recently deployed to the region are most likely to be involved in the operation, said CNN's sources. These units specialize in rapid-response amphibious landings, raids, and assault missions.
An additional 1,000 US soldiers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are also expected to arrive in the Mideast in the coming days.
CENTCOM has had persistent overhead surveillance of the island, according to another source familiar with US military planning. The military has therefore been able to see both physical and environmental changes throughout the island.
According to Stavridis, previous strikes have degraded some of Kharg's air and sea defenses, including HAWK surface-to-air missiles and Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns.
Gulf states fear increased risk
Gulf allies are privately urging Trump not to put boots on the ground to occupy the island or attempt to destroy Iran's highly-enriched uranium previously thought to have been bombed by a US aircraft, said CNN, citing a senior Gulf official. Doing so would likely result in high casualties and a strong Iranian response against the Gulf states.
Officials from Gulf countries are instead pressuring the US to dismantle Tehran's ballistic missile program before the end of the war.
The Pentagon recently briefed officials from the region on the US's success in destroying Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles, claiming that the US is close to completing its target list, said the official. However, the US has not given a concrete timeline.
Stavridis said that one possible way to pressure the Iranians is to consider an offshore blockade of Kharg, making it impossible to export the oil, according to the report. “This could be done without actually putting troops ashore,” he said.