New York : The world has been on tenterhooks over the past three weeks, guessing whether US President Donald Trump would put boots on the ground in Iran. While Trump has been unusually secretive about it, even though he has been toying with the idea, the latest satellite images show that a new US warship, the USS Tripoli, with 2,200 personnel, was en route to the Middle East.
I am not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you,” Trump quipped on Thursday during a media interaction. But the unpredictable US President is known to pull a rabbit out of a hat, even though it may not give the desired consequences. US security officials told Reuters that an impatient Trump was actively considering deploying thousands of US troops to reinforce its offensive in Iran. There are two major reasons behind it.
While Iran has allowed a handful of oil tankers to pass, including those headed towards India and Pakistan, it has warned of attacks on Western ships. To maintain its grip on the vital waterway, Iran has also started levying transit fees, with a tanker operator claiming to have shelled out $2 million (Rs 18 crore) in exchange for safe passage, as per a report in The Financial Times.
Over the past few days, Trump has pressed US allies to send warships to Hormuz. However, the response has been muted. For Trump, his best bet might be the US Marine Corps aboard the USS Tripoli. To secure the vital oil chokepoint, Trump would have to deploy US troops to Iran’s shoreline. With much of Iran’s naval fleet destroyed, it remains a viable and less risky option.
Another section of US officials has suggested that the Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship could be used to seize one or more of the islands off Iran’s southern coast. These might be used as leverage or as a base to counter possible Iranian attacks on commercial ships, the officials told The Washington Post.
One unit could also be sent to Kharg Island, Iran’s ‘Crown Jewel’ and economic lifeline through which 90% of its oil exports flow. The US bombarded military sites on the island, around 25 km from the mainland, on March 13. However, oil infrastructure was spared. Thus, given Kharg’s significance, Trump may consider controlling the island rather than destroying it, officials told Reuters.
Trump may put boots on the ground to secure over 950 pounds of highly enriched uranium, which Iran can potentially use to develop nuclear weapons. Much of the uranium is believed to be under the rubble of facilities pounded by the US and Israel, and securing it will require ground forces.
It is here that the arrival of the USS Tripoli holds significance. On board are 2,200 troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), who are based on Okinawa, Japan. The troops are trained in ground and aviation combat, raids, assaults and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, CNN reported.
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