PARIS: The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran – potentially including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz – though US President Donald Trump has yet to approve any deployment, the Washington Post reported Saturday.
Any ground operation would stop short of a full-scale invasion, instead involving raids by special operations forces and conventional infantry troops, the Post said, citing unnamed officials.
Washington has dispatched thousands of Marines to the Middle East in the month-old war. The first of two contingents arrived on Friday on an amphibious assault ship, the US military said on Saturday.
Reuters has reported the Pentagon was considering military operations that could include deploying ground troops in Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday the US could achieve its aims without ground troops but that it was deploying some to the region so Trump would have “maximum” flexibility to adjust strategy.
