Pentagon Weighs Sending In 3,000 Troops To Help Iran War, Including Potentially Seizing Main Oil Hub: Report

The Pentagon is weighing sending successful astir 3,000 troops to support nan Iran warfare effort, which whitethorn see seizing Kharg Island, nan Middle Eastern country’s main lipid export hub, according to a caller report.

Senior Pentagon officials whitethorn deploy nan Army’s 82nd Airborne Division’s “Immediate Response Force,” a combat brigade of astir 3,000 soldiers that tin deploy paratroopers and instrumentality anyplace successful nan world wrong 18 hours, The New York Times reported Monday, citing defense officials.

The combat brigade and immoderate elements of nan 82nd Airborne’s office unit whitethorn reportedly beryllium deployed to thief successful nan US-Israeli subject run against Iran, which is now successful its 4th week.

The combat brigade could beryllium utilized to prehend Kharg Island, Iran’s cardinal lipid export terminal, according to nan NYT. The defense officials cautioned that thing had been ordered by nan Pentagon aliases US Central Command, which covers nan Middle East.

The Pentagon declined to remark connected nan reporting, telling The Independent, “Due to operations security, we do not talk early aliases hypothetical movements.”

On March 13, President Donald Trump announced Central Command “executed 1 of nan astir powerful bombing raids successful nan History of nan Middle East, and wholly obliterated each MILITARY target successful Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.”

Trump said connected Truth Social, “for reasons of decency,” he chose not to “wipe out” Kharg Island’s lipid infrastructure.

“However, should Iran, aliases anyone else, do thing to interfere pinch nan Free and Safe Passage of Ships done nan Strait of Hormuz, I will instantly reconsider this decision,” nan president added.

Iran has efficaciously closed nan Strait of Hormuz, a waterway betwixt Iran and Oman that carries astir a 5th of nan world’s oil, pinch threats to onslaught ships that effort to enter.

Trump called connected US friends to thief unafraid nan captious waterway, but he was initially rebuffed.

Oil prices person surged amid nan war, pinch Brent crude, nan world standard, concisely reaching supra $119 per tube connected Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Before nan US and Israeli subject strikes began, lipid was astatine astir $70 a barrel, according to nan AP.

On Monday, Brent crude dipped 11 percent to $99.94 a barrel, per The Wall Street Journal, aft Trump announced he was holding disconnected connected strikes against Iranian powerfulness plants and power infrastructure for 5 days.

The president wrote on Truth Social Monday greeting nan U.S. and Iran had “very bully and productive conversations regarding a complete and full solution of our hostilities successful nan Middle East” complete nan weekend.

He added nan five-day postponement of strikes is “subject to nan occurrence of nan ongoing meetings and discussions” pinch Iran.