The Pentagon explored one of its most aggressive military options in recent memory: a ground operation to capture Kharg Island, the small but enormously consequential piece of Iranian territory that handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude oil exports.
The plan, considered in mid-March 2026, would have involved thousands of Marines and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division storming an island about one-third the size of Manhattan.
Airstrikes instead of boots on the ground
Rather than a full-scale amphibious assault, US Central Command conducted airstrikes on over 90 military targets on Kharg Island on March 13, 2026, followed by a second round on April 7. Oil infrastructure on the island was deliberately spared.
The ground operation had been floated as a last-resort option to weaken Iran and force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Deployments discussed involved thousands of Marines from the 31st and 11th Marine Expeditionary Units alongside the 82nd Airborne.
