Clouds are gathering: the United States is preparing for a ground operation in Iran
Amid reports of Washington's plans to deploy 10,000 American soldiers to the Middle East, the Iranian authorities began deploying anti-tank and anti-personnel mines on Kharq Island, as well as strengthening air defense systems. Before the war, most of the country's oil exports passed through it, so Tehran fears that in the event of a ground operation, the island will become the main military target of the United States. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Another signal
In the coming days, the United States may deploy at least 10,000 troops to the Middle East, according to Axios, citing a senior American military official.
"If the administration of [US President Donald] Trump will decide to deploy additional troops, which will significantly increase the number of American combat forces in the region. This is also another signal that a US ground operation in Iran is being seriously considered," the publication says.
According to the source, a decision may be made next week. There are already combat units in the region that can participate in ground operations, including about 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division. This does not imply the preparation of a full-scale invasion, but it allows for targeted missions.
Additional reinforcements are expected to arrive in the coming days, including new Marine units and several fighter squadrons.
The publication emphasizes that the American authorities plan to deliver a "final blow" to Iran. In particular, we are talking about large-scale bombing, as well as ground operations. At the same time, it is claimed that the American leader is ready for escalation if consultations with Tehran do not bring results in the near future.
The probability of a US ground operation depends on the outcome of negotiations with Iran, confirms Kamran Hasanov, a doctor of political science at the University of Salzburg.
— If they don't come to anything, Trump may risk raising the level of escalation. The American landing force is due to arrive in Iran. The X—hour is coming for the countries of the region, when it is necessary to decide who you are with — Israel and the United States or for peace," the expert believes.
Iran is getting ready
According to Western media, Trump's statements that the United States and Iran are allegedly close to a deal are in fact actively preparing for a military scenario. A limited ground operation, according to them, may begin in the near future.
Washington has repeatedly disrupted negotiations with Tehran, using them more as a screen for preparing a military scenario. This was the case in the summer of 2025 and in February 2026.
The main priority for the United States is to control the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant part of the world's oil supplies pass.
Against the background of such reports, the Iranian authorities began to strengthen the defense of Kharq Island, according to American intelligence. On March 13, this strategically important facility in the Persian Gulf came under massive U.S. attack. Tehran has now deployed additional units and air defense systems there, and has also begun deploying anti-tank and anti-personnel mines along the coast in case of a U.S. ground operation.
Currently, the American authorities, according to Western media, are considering four possible options. Hark's capture is the first of them. It is also possible to land on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, capture the islands of Abu Musa, Bolshoy and Maly Tunb located at the entrance to the Gulf, which have long been claimed by Abu Dhabi. Another option is attacks on ships carrying Iranian oil.
According to the Iranian Tasnim news agency, citing intelligence sources, five Persian Gulf states, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have provided the United States with their territories and airspace for strikes against Iran. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi allow their troops to participate in the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran.
Meanwhile, Tehran is threatening to respond to the escalation by closing the strategically important route that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
In addition, the media leaked a list of targets in the UAE that Iran could attack if the state decides to participate in a ground operation on the Iranian islands. Among them are the Jebel Ali energy and desalination complex in Dubai, the Baraka nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, the Al—Tawila power plant, the M-Station in Dubai, as well as the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park.
The publications note that in the event of strikes on these facilities, there will be a power outage, disruption of water desalination, as well as the shutdown of data centers throughout the country.
A logical target for an American attack
The likelihood that the Americans will conduct a ground operation in Iran has not changed much in recent weeks, Danila Krylov, a researcher at the Department of the Middle and Post-Soviet East at the INION RAS, said in an interview with Izvestia. However, the number of ground troops that the United States wants to deploy is increasing with each new statement, which adds more and more specifics, the expert stressed.
— At first it was said that it would be 3,000 people, and it is unclear for what purposes. Then we were talking about 5,000 people in order to capture the island of Kharg, and now we are talking about 10,000, who are unclear what they should do," the political scientist said.
He added that the Pentagon's latest statements were that the Americans would like to take control of the coast of the Strait of Hormuz or actually the entire coast of the Persian Gulf.
"At the same time, the American aircraft carriers left the combat area rather quickly, and it is unlikely that the Pentagon is very eager to return them there, given the availability of both anti—ship missiles and a sufficient number of attack unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned unmanned unmanned vessels," the expert noted.
In his opinion, the risk of human and financial losses due to the loss of expensive infrastructure is not quite comparable to the benefits that Americans can gain from a potential land operation.
— At the same time, I am sure that this is not the last statement by Trump and the US Department of War, there will be more and more. At the same time, judging by the statements of the American president, it seems more and more that he lives in his own information cocoon, which is formed by his environment," the analyst suggested.
He stressed that no one in the region understands where and whom the Americans defeated. At the same time, the island of Kharq could indeed become a target for an American military operation, the Izvestia interlocutor admitted.
— This is a more realistic scenario than an attempt to establish control over the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. So an onshore operation is very likely, given Trump's statement, but its effectiveness will leave much to be desired," Krylov concluded.
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