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Trump mulls 'US boots on ground' to capture Iran's Kharg island if tankers remain stuck in Hormuz: Report
Kharg Island is home to Iran’s primary oil terminal and manages the country’s crude exports. US President Donald Trump is reportedly planning its capture.
US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the seizure of Iran's key oil network, Kharg Island, the one that the US recently bombed in several places. To do so, Trump would have to put the US boots on ground, which could further trigger Iran's strikes on oil facilities across the Gulf nations, Axios said in a report on Sunday.
However, the report also said that Trump would only go ahead with the move if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and keeps oil tankers stuck.
Operations at the key waterway for oil supply in the world have been severely impacted ever since the start of the US-Iran war. This is triggered a big jump in the oil prices globally, recorded at $100 a barrel, as of Monday.
In an attempt to normalise the functioning of the strait, Trump is even putting pressure on several US allies, including China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK, to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
Of these, Japan and Australia have reportedly already refused the proposition, and South Korea said it was reviewing its options. According to a Reuters report, Trump has warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if its members fail to come to the US's aid.
Will US send boots on ground?
The US, along with Israel, has been targeting Iranian establishments with massive air and sea assaults ever since the war broke out last month. However, reports suggest there are some targets that would require the US troops on the ground in the Iranian territory.
Days after the war commenced, Trump had told New York Post he would consider sending troops in ground if necessary. "I don't have the yips with respect to boots on the ground -- like every president says, 'There will be no boots on the ground.' I don't say it," Trump told the publication.
However, days later he told NBC News that sending the US ground troops into Iran would be a “waste of time” as he claimed that the Islamic Republic had already lost everything. "It's a waste of time. They've lost everything. They've lost their navy. They've lost everything they can lose," he said.
Why Trump wants to target Kharg Island
Last week, Trump announced that the US forces had “obliterated” targets on Iran’s “crown jewel”, Kharg Island. He further said that the bombing won't be the last, warning that the island’s oil facilities could be the next target.
Kharg Island is home to Iran’s primary oil terminal and manages the country’s crude exports. A US official told Axios that Trump wants to seize the island because it would lead to "an economic knockout of the regime" in Iran. "There are big risks. There are big rewards. The president isn't there yet and we're not saying he will be," the official was quoted as saying, on the subject of sending US troops on ground to capture Kharg Island.
Following the US bombing of the Iranian oil network, the International Energy Agency said that it caused the biggest disruption in the history of the global oil market. It also sent crude prices soaring as much as 3.3%, with Brent trading around $105 a barrel, according to a Bloomberg report.
