Kharg Under Threat? Iran Claims US Occupation Plot, Vows To Preempt Ground Offensive

Tehran: A day after sections of the US Media reported that the US is beefing up its ground presence in the Persian Gulf with a possible aim of taking over the key Kharg Islands in Iran, it has now been revealed that the Iranians have started laying mines and moved additional forces to the Island.

A CNN report quoting unnamed sources suggested that Iran has also been laying traps including anti-personnel and anti-armor mines around the island, where US troops could possibly stage an amphibious landing. The Kharg island is said to handle roughly 90% of the country's crude exports

The Trump administration has been weighing using US troops to seize the island and use it as leverage to get them to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier, Speaker of Iran's Parliament, MB Ghalibaf, said that they have received reports of enemy countries preparing to occupy one of Iran's islands. He further said that Iran is monitoring all enemy movements.

In a post on X, he said, "Based on some intelligence reports, Iran's enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional countries. Our forces are monitoring all enemy movements, and if they take any step, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will be targeted with relentless, unceasing attacks."

Ghalibaf’s warning follows as US President Donald Trump persisted in asserting that the US was negotiating with Iran to conclude the conflict – a claim denied by Tehran – while the White House communicated additional threats towards the Iranian leadership.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has issued a warning to the US-Israel forces on considering a possible ground operation within Iranian territory.

"Don't send your children to hell with the deceit of Netanyahu and Trump. The invading soldiers will be deeply drowned and disappear in the million-strong sea of the Iranian nation," the statement warned.

In a direct appeal, the IRGC addressed the American people, warning that they are being misled by warmongers such as Trump and Netanyahu through lies and distortion of battlefield realities.

"The truth of the war you must observe at American gas stations, on the streets of Iran, and in the skies of Tel Aviv and Haifa," the statement read.

The IRGC further sid that precision-guided Emad, Qiam, Khorramshahr-4, and Qadr missiles struck more than 70 locations across Israel in the 81st wave of Operation True Promise 4.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday issued fresh warning to Iran, stating that President Donald Trump does not bluff and is fully prepared to “unleash hell” if Tehran does not accept a deal to end the ongoing war in the Middle East.

“President Trump never bluffs, and he is ready to unleash chaos,” Leavitt stated.

Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the US has failed to achieve its key war objectives against Iran, including securing a quick military victory and bringing about regime change in Tehran, as reported by Al Jazeera.

According to a CBS report, the Pentagon is expected to deploy troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East The news report said, citing a source familiar with the planning, that the Pentagon is planning to send elements of the division, including a command component and some ground forces, to the region. A possible ground operation in the Kharg Island is also being contemplated by the US.

That's in addition to two Marine Expeditionary Units already en route from opposite sides of the Pacific: The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group moving in from Japan. The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group en route from San Diego.

Combined, the backup troops will add between 6,000 and 7,000 marines and sailors to the about 50,000 already positioned in the Middle East, as per Al Jazeera.

The US deployments are among the largest since the Iraq war in 2003, when the US sent 160,000 soldiers. While no ground operation has been ordered, the scale and composition of forces, combined with public statements from US officials, suggest at least three scenarios may be under consideration, as per Al Jazeera. 

These include seizing or blockading Kharg Island, clearing Iran's coastline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and, in the most consequential scenario, securing Iran's nuclear material. ANI Inputs

ALSO READ: Iran Opens Key Oil Route Strait Of Hormuz For ‘Friendly Nation’ India As Tehran Rejects Peace Talks With US