The political scientist named two possible scenarios for a US ground operation in Iran.

There are currently two main scenarios under discussion for a U.S. ground operation in Iran. This opinion was expressed by Alexander Ermakov, a junior researcher at the IMEMO RAS Center for International Security, in an interview with Izvestia.

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"These are the seizure of islands in the Gulf to improve the safety situation for navigation and pressure on Tehran by occupying its oil infrastructure, as well as the seizure of nuclear facilities where highly enriched nuclear materials are stored," the political scientist said.

There is also an option to occupy a foothold on the northern shore of the Persian Gulf. For example, this can be done in a narrow place in the Strait of Hormuz. However, such a scenario requires larger forces, so the expert considered such a development less likely.

"In both cases, the problem for the United States is not the occupation of facilities, which they will surely be able to do with sufficient confidence, but their long—term retention," the expert emphasized.

He added that this would be accompanied by inevitable losses. The US ground forces will be under fire from small drones and artillery. The territory will most likely be mined, because the Iranians' task will be to inflict maximum damage on the Americans.

"At the same time, it is also indicative, as they say, "with content for social networks," in attempts to put pressure on public opinion in the United States. So this is a big risk for Washington, so [US President Donald] Trump is hesitating," the source concluded.

Read more about the likely scenarios of Washington's ground operation and Tehran's possible response in the Izvestia article.

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