Iran has placed anti-personnel and anti-armour mines around the island, where US troops could potentially stage an amphibious landing.
Key Points
- Iran has mined Kharg Island and deployed additional troops amid fears of a possible US attempt to seize it.
- The island is strategically vital, handling nearly 90% of Iran's crude oil exports.
- Reports suggest the US may use control of the island to pressure Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran has warned of strong retaliation if its territory is targeted.
- The US is ramping up military presence, with thousands of additional troops and Marines being deployed to the region.
Iran has begun laying mines and deploying additional forces on Kharg Island following reports that the United States may be preparing to expand its ground presence in the Persian Gulf, including a possible move to seize the strategic island.
According to a CNN report citing unnamed sources, Iran has placed anti-personnel and anti-armour mines around the island, where US troops could potentially stage an amphibious landing.
Kharg Island handles nearly 90 per cent of Iran’s crude exports, making it a critical economic and strategic asset.
Reports suggest the administration of Donald Trump has been weighing the option of using US troops to capture the island as leverage to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
US failed to achieve key objectives: Iran
Earlier, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran had received intelligence indicating that adversaries may attempt to occupy one of its islands with support from a regional country.
He warned that Iran is closely monitoring developments and would respond forcefully to any such move.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US has failed to achieve key objectives in the conflict, including a swift military victory or regime change in Tehran.
Meanwhile, the US has stepped up its military presence in the region.
According to Al Jazeera, the Pentagon has ordered around 2,000 additional troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to deploy from North Carolina.
This is in addition to two Marine Expeditionary Units already en route -- the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group from Japan and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group from San Diego.
Together, these reinforcements could add between 6,000 and 7,000 personnel to the roughly 50,000 US troops already stationed in the Middle East.
The scale of the deployment is among the largest since the Iraq War, signalling a significant escalation in the region.
