Iran prepared for battles with American landing forces for Kharg Island
A multi-level defense has been built on the island, a key oil hub, and in recent weeks, Tehran has redeployed additional troops there.
Photo: Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu via Getty Images
Iran has prepared for a potential US invasion of Kharg Island, through which 90% of the Islamic Republic's oil exports pass, sources familiar with American intelligence data told CNN.
According to them, a multi-level defense has been built on the island, and in recent weeks, Tehran has redeployed additional troops there.
Iranian servicemen on Kharg have also received portable anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, which they are installing along the coastline to prevent the landing of American forces.
For the US to capture the island, it would require significant amphibious forces, a source familiar with military planning told CNN. He suggested that two Marine expeditionary units, specializing in assaults and landings from amphibious ships, could carry out the operation.
These units comprise several thousand Marines who have recently been deployed to the Middle East. Additionally, approximately one thousand soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army will arrive in the region in the coming days.