A Dangerous New Phase: Boots on the Ground in Iran?
The war in Iran is about to enter its most dangerous chapter yet.
The Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of ground operations inside Iran, according to a bombshell Washington Post report published Saturday evening, citing multiple U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the plans. The operations — which would involve Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops — could include raids on Kharg Island, Iran’s critical oil export hub, and coastal military sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump has not yet approved the plans, but thousands of U.S. Marines and soldiers are already arriving in the Middle East, positioning for what could become the most significant American ground operation since the early days of the Iraq War.
What the Pentagon Is Planning
The ground operations would fall short of a full-scale invasion, officials stressed. Instead, military planners are looking at a combination of:
- Special Operations raids on Iranian coastal military installations near the Strait of Hormuz
- A potential seizure of Kharg Island, through which 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports flow
- Search-and-recover missions for 440kg of highly enriched uranium that disappeared after U.S.-Israeli strikes last June
- Clearing operations against Iranian weapons caches, drone storage sites, and mine-laying facilities on Persian Gulf islands
“We’ve looked at this. It’s been war-gamed,” a former senior defense official told the Washington Post. “This is not last-minute planning.”
One official said the operations would take “weeks, not months” to complete. Another estimated “a couple of months.”
The Kharg Island Question
Kharg Island has emerged as the most prominent — and most controversial — target. The coral outcrop, less than 9 square miles in size, is Iran’s financial lifeline. The U.S. military has already struck 90 targets on Kharg Island, according to Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.
“Just one simple word, and the pipes will be gone,” Trump said earlier this month.
But seizing the island is one thing. Holding it is another entirely.
Iran has reportedly deployed additional troops, laid defensive mines around the island, and reinforced it with layered air defenses in anticipation of a U.S. assault. The IRGC — Iran’s elite paramilitary force — is expected to dig in and fight, potentially using the island’s valuable oil infrastructure as part of its defense.
“You’ve got to provide cover for the people on Kharg Island,” the former defense official said. “Seizing it is not difficult. Protecting your guys once they are there is.”
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute, suggested a smarter approach might be to lay mines around Kharg Island as a pressure point, rather than risk a contested amphibious landing under drone, rocket, and artillery fire.
Forces Already in Position
The military buildup has been rapid and deliberate:
- The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (~2,200 Marines and sailors) aboard the USS Tripoli has arrived in the Middle East
- The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit has also been deployed from Asia
- 2,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division — America’s rapid-deployment force — are being sent to the theater
- The Pentagon is considering deploying an additional 10,000 ground troops to the region
Since Operation Epic Fury launched on February 28, more than 9,000 targets have been struck. But the air campaign alone hasn’t been enough. Reuters reported this week that the U.S. can only confirm about a third of Iran’s missile arsenal has been destroyed.
The Human Cost Is Rising
The price of the war is already being paid in American blood. In the past month:
- 13 U.S. troops killed in action — six in a plane crash in Iraq, six in a drone attack in Kuwait, one in an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia
- Over 300 service members wounded by Iranian drones and missiles targeting U.S. facilities across at least seven Middle Eastern countries
- 12 Americans injured when an Iranian missile struck Prince Sultan Air Base on March 27
Ground operations would dramatically increase the risk. U.S. troops would face Iranian drones, missiles, ground fire, improvised explosives, and the IRGC’s decades of asymmetric warfare experience.
Washington Is Divided
The political landscape around ground troops is fractured — even within Trump’s own party.
Against ground operations:
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), a retired Navy SEAL: “I have been 100% crystal clear from the beginning. The answer is no.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC): “I will not support troops on the ground in Iran.”
For escalation:
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for seizing Kharg Island, comparing it to Iwo Jima: “We did Iwo Jima, we can do this. My money’s always on the Marines.”
A new AP poll found that 62% of Americans strongly oppose the use of ground troops in Iran, with just 12% in favor.
Mixed Signals From the White House
The administration has sent contradictory messages all week. Trump told reporters on March 20: “I’m not putting troops anywhere.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. “can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops” and expects the war to conclude in “weeks, not months.”
But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that if Tehran doesn’t end its nuclear ambitions, Trump is “prepared to unleash hell.”
Responding to the Washington Post report, Leavitt said: “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made a decision.”
The Hormuz Chokepoint
Beyond Kharg Island, other targets in the Strait of Hormuz are under consideration. Qeshm Island, the largest in the Persian Gulf at 560 square miles, serves as a storage site for Iranian attack craft, drones, sea mines, and other weapons used to disrupt shipping. Larak Island is another hub for Iranian weapons maintaining the chokepoint. And Abu Musa, a contested island, is also reportedly being evaluated.
The “invisible blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz has already triggered a systemic collapse of global energy supply chains, with oil prices soaring and Gulf states warning of economic catastrophe.
What Happens Next
Trump has delayed his main threat — the destruction of Iran’s power plants — until April 6 as negotiations continue. But with Marines now in position, the 82nd Airborne deploying, and Pentagon plans on the president’s desk, the decision point is approaching fast.
The next few days will determine whether Operation Epic Fury remains an air war — or whether American boots hit Iranian soil for the first time.
As one former defense official put it: the question isn’t whether the Pentagon is ready. The question is whether the president will give the order.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as the situation evolves.