Iran-Israel war: Following the USS Tripoli, the United States has dispatched another warship, the USS Boxer, to the Middle East, presumably with goal of landing US troops in Iran and capturing the Kharg Island, considered the backbone of Iran’s oil trade.
How many US troops heading towards Iran?
According to reports, Pentagon has dispatched the USS Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, along with rest of its ARG, carrying troops and equipment from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), raising speculations that Washington might be planning to land US Marine Commandos in Iran, or to capture Kharg Island.
The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group has two other amphibious warships– the San Antonio-class USS Portland and the Whidbey Island-class USS Comstock– and 11th MEU has a total strength of approximately 2,500 troops, including both air and ground forces.
The USS Tripoli, an America-class amphibious assault ship, carries about 2,200 US Marines from the 31st MEU, and is moving towards the Middle East to assist in the US war effort against Iran. Reports suggest the Trump administration is considering a siege of Iran’s Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, as the two US warships, USS Boxer and USS Tripoli, have a combined 4,700 troops with them.
Is Trump planning to capture Kharg Island?
As per an Axios report, the Trump administration is preparing to impose a blockade around Kharg Island to put pressure on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. US strikes targeted the Kharg Island last week, but did not hit Iran’s energy infrastructure on the island.
Open source flight-tracking data reveals that US Navy is using MQ-4C Triton intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones to monitor Kharg Island as part of its patrols in the northern Persian Gulf.
Why US may find itself in another Vietnam?
However, US President Donald Trump’s plan to put boots on the ground in Iran may backfire in a major way as US warships are likely to find it highly difficult to venture into waters near Iran as it would put the vessels directly at risk of Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles, and might lead to American casualties.
The strategically important island, which serves as Iran’s main oil export hub, sits barely 20 miles from the Iranian mainland, placing any invading troops within the range of Iranian missile and drone strikes.
Experts warn that a potential Kharg Island expedition could turn into a Vietnam-like situation for US troops where a handful of Vietnamese soldiers terrorised the US military using guerilla tactics, killing thousands of US soldiers, and forcing Washington to retreat from the country after a humiliating defeat.
Iran’s powerful and highly-trained Revolutionary Guards and the Basij paramilitary forces are known to be adept at guerrilla warfare, and could employ similar tactics against invading US forces, resulting in American casualties.
Can US troops besiege Iran?
Another major challenge in Trump’s plan to encircle Iran is how US warships would move through the narrow Strait of Hormuz as Iran will likely target these vessels once they are within the range of their missiles in the Persian Gulf.
Apart from long-range ballistic missiles and drones, Iran could also attack US ships with unmanned submersible vehicles (USVs), which it previously used to attack an American commercial vessel in Iraq, and US Navy failed to intercept it.
While a naval blockade of Kharg Island might be easier in the short term, it could result in significant casualties of US troops, putting Trump in pressure at home as experts believe that the American public does not have the appetite for such losses in a war they believe has not been waged for American interests.
