- By Ajeet Kumar
- Fri, 27 Mar 2026 01:06 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Trump considering ground forces for Iran's Kharg Island.
- Kharg Island handles 90% of Iran's crucial oil exports.
- Analysts warn of prolonged war and significant troop vulnerability.
US President Donald Trump has been weighing whether to use ground forces to seize Iran's strategic oil hub of Kharg Island, an operation analysts say could be achieved quickly but would leave US troops in great peril and could prolong rather than shorten the war.
Where is Kharg Island and why is it so important?
Kharg Island sits 26 km from Iran's coast in the northern end of the Gulf, about 483 km northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. It lies in waters deep enough to enable the docking of tankers that are too large to approach the Iranian mainland's shallow coastal waters.
The island handles 90 per cent of Iran's oil exports, and seizing it would give the United States the ability to severely disrupt Iran's energy trade, placing enormous pressure on Tehran's economy. Iran is the third-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
What is the state of play?
US forces carried out strikes against Kharg in mid-March. Trump said they "totally obliterated" all military targets there and indicated that oil infrastructure could be targeted next.
US officials have told Reuters that the administration is weighing whether to send ground forces to the island. Two contingents of Marines could arrive in the region around the end of the month, and sources say the Pentagon is planning to send thousands of airborne troops as well to give Trump more options if he orders a ground assault.
Drones and mines
US troops could likely seize the island relatively quickly, but that would not necessarily lead to a quick and decisive end to the war Trump has been seeking, especially given its unpopularity at home ahead of the November midterm elections.
"A seizure and occupation of Kharg Island is more likely to expand and extend the war than it is to deliver any sort of decisive victory," Ryan Brobst and Cameron McMillan of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies wrote.
They said US troops would be exposed to missile and drone attacks, including small but lethal camera-equipped first-person-view drones already widely used in Ukraine.
"Upon any successful strikes, the Iranian regime would be expected to release videos of those attacks online, using the graphic deaths of American service members as propaganda," they said.
Trump may also hope that taking Kharg Island would force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide leverage in future negotiations, analysts say. However, Tehran could respond by laying more mines to target shipping, including floating mines deployed from the coast, making the region even more hazardous. Shipping has already been significantly disrupted by the conflict.
Troops need backup
A former commander of the US Central Command, Joseph Votel, told TWZ.com that while only 800 to 1,000 troops would be needed on Kharg Island, they would require logistical backup that would also need protection.
Votel said the troops would be highly vulnerable and doubted that taking the island would provide any significant tactical advantage.
"It would be kind of an odd thing to do, but we could certainly do it if we had to," Votel said.
(With inputs from Reuters)