US considering occupying Kharg Island to force Iran to open Hormuz strait, say reports

[BlueWavePsych]

Source: Guardian

The US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz, despite earlier suggestions by Donald Trump that he was not leaning towards putting “boots on the ground”.

...

The report emerged as Iran’s military threatened it would “hunt down” officials and military commanders from the United States and Israel wherever it could find them in the world.

“We are watching your cowardly officials and commanders, pilots and wicked soldiers,” the armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said, quoted by state TV. “From now on, based on the information we have on you, the promenades, resorts and tourist and entertainment centres in the world will not be safe.”

Any attempt physically to occupy Kharg Island would probably entail high risks, exposing American forces there to Iranian drone and rocket fire in a geographically confined space.


Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/20/us-considering-occupying-iran-kharg-island-hormuz-strait-trump

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[Ocelot II]

1. This seems like a really stupid idea.

Which means Trump and Kegbreath wll be all over it.

[sarisataka]

13. It is a really stupid idea

And I’m sure they are all over it

[tanyev]

2. What could possibly go wrong?

[flashman13]

3. Answer: Everything!

[underpants]

4. So the braintrust is assuming Iran won't fire on it because the oil/storage?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharg_Island

I doubt the Clustertrump is worried at all about the archeological areas there.

This sounds like fish in a barrel for missiles and drones.

[EX500rider]

5. Depends how stupid Iran is

If the US did occupy it them firing at it would destroy their own facilities of which 90% of the oil is exported, basically cutting their own economic throat

[EYESORE 9001]

8. Wouldn't Iran lose those facilities anyway?

Whether occupied by a bellicose force or whether the facilities are destroyed outright, Iran is still denied these essential facilities. The Iranian regime sees this as an existential crisis, while the orange menace seems oblivious. I believe Iran would blow up their own facilities rather than allow their enemy to use them for their own interests.

[EX500rider]

11. Big difference between temporarily occupied and destroyed

[EYESORE 9001]

14. Define 'temporary'

If their facilities are being used to subvert the Iranian regime, then I could see them destroying it instead. I don’t pretend to understand, but it’s a real possibility IMO.

[SamuelTheThird]

18. For them, it might as well be destroyed if it is occupied any real length of time

It's not a question of how 'stupid' Iran's governing body or bodies are...They haven't gone full-out on what they can do, ie serious targeting of all desalinization plants causing n unprecedented catastrophe. So they still have some survival calculations going on. But if they feel they are facing extinction, they will go to the most extreme measures.

[EX500rider]

22. Well the facilities require oil to be pumped from the wells to there..

.....so Iran still controls that.
The question is if they want to cut their own throat economically.
And if the answer is yes than I trust them with nukes even less.

[PufPuf23]

39. The Dutch destroyed their refineries rather than have them used by Japan in WWII.

Wars especially and economies in general need fuel.

[reACTIONary]

12. If the facility is occupied ....

.... Iran would no longer have any economic incentive to open the strait. If they can't use it, they won't let anyone use it.

[EX500rider]

23. No one else can use it with out Iran continuing to pump oil there from the well heads.

Without that it quickly just becomes useless empty storage tanks.

Their issue is it's the only spot they have with deep enough water for large oil tankers.

[Miguelito Loveless]

17. Iran is prepared to take everyone in the Gulf

down with them. The Child Raping Regime is looking for an excuse to use a nuke.

Both will get their wish.

[SamuelTheThird]

19. This could lead to worldwide nuclear war

Israel or US nukes Iran. Putin nukes Ukraine. France nukes Russia...there you go.

[Miguelito Loveless]

20. This is the path

that 77 million voters chose.

[EX500rider]

24. "Iran is prepared to take everyone in the Gulf.." Even more reason they can't be trusted with nukes IMO

[Miguelito Loveless]

27. They don't have any nukes

They have been accused of being about to have them for 47 years, and yet they have never turned up. Iraq didn't have them either.

Are you telling me you believe the Child Rapist's claims?

[EX500rider]

30. So they ruined their economy with sanctions & have thousands of centrifuges under a mountain..

...enriching uranium to 60%+, way beyond what the 3 to 5% their nuclear power plant needs why exactly?

Eight years ago an Israeli Mossad operation got half a ton of top-secret Iranian nuclear weapons program documents out of Iran and back to Israel in less than 24 hours. The stolen documents showed that the nuclear program did exist and apparently was still underway disguised as many different scientific research projects.

[Miguelito Loveless]

36. Something Israel claims

And has claimed for 47 years. According to UN inspectors, Iran was complying with treaty requirements until Trump broke the agreement.

[EX500rider]

31. They don't have nukes & working on getting them are 2 different things.

[Miguelito Loveless]

34. Again, the claim is they have been working on them for 47 years

Again, are you telling me you believe this dubious claim by Trump disputed by experts?

[EX500rider]

35. And again why do they have centrifuges under a mountain enriching uranium to nuclear bomb percentages?

[Miguelito Loveless]

37. Again, proof other than Israeli

claims.

I get it, you support Trump’s war. Why are you here?

[EX500rider]

38. That's the UN saying that not Trump or Israel

The IAEA reports Iran holds 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity—a short technical step from 90% weapons-grade, allowing for roughly ten nuclear weapons if fully enriched.

[PufPuf23]

40. Iran cannot win the war by strength and may end up a larger version of Gaza and a failed state.

What Iran is trying to do in bombing Arab countries that host US military is get the USA out of the Middle East.

Attacking Iran was a stupid act by the USA that looks to drag in other nations. Iran's biggest weapon is to hold the World economy hostage.

Israel cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.

[EX500rider]

41. "Israel cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons." The facts would indicate otherwise IMO

Israel is widely believed to have acquired its first deliverable nuclear weapons around 1966–1967.
And yet since 1966, Israel has been involved in at least six major wars and several significant military conflicts, primarily against neighboring Arab states and armed groups. Major wars include the 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, 1982 Lebanon War, 2006 Lebanon War, and ongoing engagements.

[Jack Valentino]

43. I don't trust Israel with nukes much more than I trust Iran--- BUT

the open secret that Israel has them, and the fact that the US under Republicans has been a bully to everyone who doesn't have them, are two reasons why Iran might like to acquire them!

I don't see how Israel has any more right to nuclear weapons than Iran does---

Isn't it way past time to take away Israel's "weapons of mass destruction" ???

[flashman13]

6. Because Iran "holds all of the good cards" Trump can't just declare victory and walk out.

The Iranians won't let him. They have stated their demands to open the Straits. In the real world you have to give something to get something.

So, if Trump can't can't control the situation, he will do the next best thing. He will blow up more of Iran's oil infrastructure. If enough Gulf infrastructure is destroyed in tit for tat exchanges, opening the Gulf becomes meaningless.

World wide depression here we come.

[Bayard]

7. Do trump and Kegbreath ever consult any actual military experts?

Any of their own generals? I know trump thinks he's smarter than any of those people with many years of combat experience, and doesn't need their advice. He doesn't see where this lack of input has already put him in his quagmire?

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Trump wants a blood sacrifice.

Look, if he was part of a network that systematically abused, killed and disposed of little girls and boys, why would he value the lives of our servicemen and women?

Congress people are insane enablers for allowing this to get this far. Not just with the war, but with the pedophilia.

[maxsolomon]

10. they should have considered it before now.

there was probably someone in the gubmint that considered it at one time, like during the Biden Admin. maybe those considerations still exist even if that employee got DOGEd off the payroll?

occupying the island is probably lower risk than most would think - Iran won't want to damage the petroleum or LNG facilities. any ships supporting an occupation would be targets though.

[Farmer-Rick]

26. Why won't Iran want to damage the petro

Or LNG facilities?

What do they have to lose? The pedo has already bombed the hell out of their mainland and the island on 13 March. With US troops willing to die to hold the island, Iran won't have access to those facilities or petro anyway. Seems like blowing up the island and killing more American troops would be revenge against the US.

[maxsolomon]

29. because they are self-interested.

this regime needs oil income to sustain itself. if Kharg is destroyed, they have few other options to get oil to market.

the oil income is the reason the regime can be so repressive - they have endless money to pay the Basij and the IRG.

[SoFlaBro]

15. The Iranian army has the whole fucking island zeroed for motherfucking artillery missions.

[EX500rider]

25. Be out of range for most their artillery @ 25 miles+ unless they line it up exposed on the beach

Be more of the same drones + IRBM's.
But with a 5 x 2 miles wide target zone the interception becomes easier then the current trying to cover the whole Middle East.

[Red Mountain]

32. Why would they stop attacking the rest of the ME?

If it's easier for us to defend wouldn't they just tie up our resources with occasional large scale drone attacks? Why would they allow us to turn their asymmetric attacks into symmetric ones that work better for us?

Answer: they won't.

We can take Kharg Island and those troops can sit there. I think it would suit the Iranians just fine.

[EX500rider]

33. Well the issue for them is that's where 90% of the oil leaves from

And currently they are still shipping oil, without it they will soon run out of money to pay all their thugs to keep the civilians in line.

[Miguelito Loveless]

16. Let's see:

He has told the enemy his plans 2-3 weeks in advance. Iran is now likely to write off the island as lost, then make the marines and every oil producer in the region pay for it dearly.

[IbogaProject]

21. Its way west of the strait

What a bunch of spoiled idiots the GOP are.

[OC375]

28. Been obvious for a while now

I’m surprised it took so long to come up.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

42. US speeds up deployment of thousands more Marines, sailors to Middle East

The Pentagon is speeding up the deployment of thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East amid speculation that the Trump administration could send troops into Iranian territory.

The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), made up of at least 2,200 Marines, set off from San Diego aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer on Wednesday, sooner than expected, according to multiple reports.

Reuters reported that the troops ​departed the U.S. about three weeks ahead of schedule.

A Pentagon official told The Hill that due to operations security, it does not discuss “future or hypothetical movements.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-speeds-deployment-thousands-more-153630661.html