MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. The US may soon conduct a ground operation on Iran’s Kharg Island to deprive Tehran of oil revenues and undermine its budget; high oil prices could bring nearly $41.5 billion to the Russian budget; and the semiconductor industry is facing risks amid the Middle East conflict. These stories topped Monday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Tensions in the Middle East have recently escalated significantly. Tehran has attacked nuclear facilities in Israel for the first time in response to the enemies’ similar strikes. US President Donald Trump has threatened to disable Iranian power plants if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Washington may also launch a ground operation: the White House believes that capturing Kharg Island could deprive Iran of oil revenues and undermine its budget.
Experts say the likelihood of an amphibious operation on Kharg Island is high, but the Pentagon's readiness to mitigate associated risks will determine the final decision. "The Pentagon is staffed by pragmatists. They won’t launch the mission until they’re convinced that the risk of the landing force being wiped out has been minimized," military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia.
