War Expands to New Front as IDF Hits Naval Targets in Bandar Anzali While Washington Debates Deploying Thousands of Troops
The Iran war took a dramatic new turn on March 18 as Israeli fighter jets struck Iranian Navy missile boats in the Caspian Sea for the first time since Operation Epic Fury began three weeks ago — massively expanding the geographic scope of the conflict while the Trump administration quietly debates whether to send U.S. ground troops into Iranian territory.
The twin developments signal that far from winding down, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran is intensifying on multiple fronts, with the conflict now stretching from the Persian Gulf in the south to the Caspian Sea in the north — and potentially into an entirely new phase involving boots on the ground.
Israel Opens Northern Front: Caspian Sea Strikes Stun Iran
Multiple explosions rocked the Iranian port city of Bandar Anzali on the Caspian coast on Tuesday night as the Israeli Air Force carried out what officials confirmed were strikes against at least five Iranian Navy missile boats — the first time the combined force has targeted Iranian military assets in the Caspian Sea.
“The Israeli Air Force, acting on navy and IDF intelligence, began striking targets in northern Iran for the first time during Operation Roaring Lion,” the Israeli military said in a statement, using its name for Israel’s parallel operation alongside the U.S.-led Epic Fury campaign.
The strikes represent a major geographic escalation. Until now, the combined force’s operations had been concentrated in central and southern Iran — targeting missile sites, IRGC bases, and energy infrastructure along the Persian Gulf coast. By reaching into the Caspian Sea, Israel has demonstrated that no part of Iran’s military infrastructure is beyond its reach.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF struck over 200 Iranian targets during the day’s operations, with the Caspian strikes marking the easternmost and northernmost raids since the war began on February 28.
Intelligence Minister Khatib Killed in Assassination Campaign
The same day, the IDF confirmed it killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in an airstrike — the latest in a devastating decapitation campaign that has systematically eliminated Iran’s top leadership.
Khatib headed the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), one of Iran’s most powerful intelligence agencies, and was responsible for coordinating the regime’s brutal crackdowns on domestic dissent. He oversaw the repression of both the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests and the more recent Winter 2025-2026 demonstrations.
His death comes just days after Israel confirmed it killed Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and widely considered the regime’s most powerful remaining figure after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the opening hours of the war.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of the slain former leader — described Larijani as a “learned, far-sighted, intelligent and committed” figure and vowed to avenge his death. Iran’s army chief threatened a “decisive and regrettable” retaliation.
South Pars Gas Field Hit: Iran’s Energy Backbone Under Attack
In a parallel strike that may prove even more consequential for Iran’s survival, the IDF struck critical Iranian energy infrastructure on March 18, targeting facilities linked to the South Pars natural gas field and the Asaluyeh processing hub in Bushehr Province.
These are not peripheral targets. South Pars is the backbone of Iran’s entire energy system. Iran consumes roughly 94 percent of its natural gas domestically, and over 90 percent of its electricity comes from gas-powered thermal plants. Israeli media reported the strikes damaged up to one-fifth of Iran’s total gas processing capacity.
The impact was immediate and regional. An Iraqi official confirmed that Iranian gas flows to Iraq stopped completely following the strikes. Iran supplies more than one-third of Iraq’s gas and electricity needs, meaning millions of Iraqis now face potential blackouts and energy shortages.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the strikes were designed to send a clear message: Israel can systematically dismantle Iran’s economic foundations if the regime refuses to capitulate.
U.S. Weighs Ground Troops: Kharg Island, Strait of Hormuz, Nuclear Sites
Perhaps the most consequential development came from Washington, where Reuters reported exclusively that the Trump administration is actively considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce operations in the Middle East — including potential ground operations inside Iran itself.
The options under discussion include:
Securing the Strait of Hormuz: Iran has been disrupting oil tanker traffic through the critical waterway, which handles roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum. While primarily an air and naval mission, U.S. officials acknowledged this could also require deploying troops to Iran’s shoreline.
Seizing Kharg Island: The hub for 90% of Iran’s oil exports was already struck by U.S. forces on March 13. Officials are now discussing sending ground forces to physically control the island rather than destroy it — preserving it as economic leverage. One official called such an operation “very risky.”
Securing Uranium Stockpiles: The administration has also discussed deploying U.S. special operations forces to seize Iran’s stocks of highly enriched uranium — a mission experts describe as extraordinarily complex and dangerous.
“There has been no decision to send ground troops at this time, but President Trump wisely keeps all options at his disposal,” a White House official told Reuters.
Paranoia Grips Iranian Security Forces
The relentless assassination campaign is taking a visible psychological toll on what remains of Iran’s leadership. According to ISW analysis, the combined force’s targeting of security services is “reportedly causing paranoia among Iranian regime officials.”
Israeli strikes on internal security forces — including Basij militia checkpoints and Law Enforcement Command stations in Tehran itself — are reportedly destroying “rank-and-file morale.” Security personnel have reportedly resorted to sleeping in vehicles, mosques, and sports facilities to avoid being targeted at known locations.
The regime has also turned inward, cracking down on its own population’s access to information. Reports indicate Iran has begun targeting individuals with Starlink access and reduced VPN availability — an attempt to maintain information control even as its military infrastructure crumbles around it.
$11.3 Billion and Counting: The Cost of Week One
The Pentagon disclosed to lawmakers that the United States spent $11.3 billion on strikes against Iran in just the first six days of Operation Epic Fury — a staggering figure that underscores the scale of the campaign.
Meanwhile, public support for the operation remains low. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just one in four Americans support the strikes, and Trump’s own counterterrorism chief, Joe Kent, resigned over the war on March 17 — a rare public break within the administration.
The political risks are significant. Trump campaigned on avoiding new Middle East entanglements, and any deployment of ground troops could provoke a fierce backlash from both his base and congressional opponents.
What Comes Next
As Operation Epic Fury enters its fourth week, the conflict appears to be approaching a critical inflection point. The combined force has expanded operations to the Caspian Sea, decimated Iran’s leadership, struck at the heart of its energy infrastructure, and is now debating ground operations.
Iran, for its part, shows no signs of surrendering despite catastrophic losses. Hezbollah has claimed 57 attacks on Israeli positions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon in just the past 24 hours. Iran continues launching missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. bases across the region. And the new Supreme Leader has promised vengeance.
The question that now hangs over the conflict is whether the Trump administration will cross what many consider the ultimate red line — putting American boots on Iranian soil — or whether the air campaign alone can achieve the stated objectives of destroying Iran’s missile capacity, annihilating its navy, neutralizing its proxies, and guaranteeing it never obtains a nuclear weapon.
Three weeks in, the answer remains far from clear. But with each passing day, the war grows larger, more complex, and more consequential for the entire region.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as the situation evolves.