The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give President Donald Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing Department of Defense officials with knowledge of the planning.
The potential deployment would probably include infantry and armored vehicles, according to the WSJ.
The Pentagon is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 soldiers from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to support operations against Iran, the AP reported earlier this week. The deployment would come atop of some 5,000 Marines who are being shifted to the Mideast. Those forces are over and above the 50,000 US forces already in the region.
The surge of Marines and soldiers has fed speculation that Trump is, at the very least, positioning troops to conduct limited ground strikes to secure the banks of the strait or capture Kharg Island, a critical part of Iran’s oil industry.
Defense experts say US ground forces could certainly capture Kharg and help secure the strait, but the cost could be a war of attrition in which American lives and taxpayer money present a hefty price.
“Yes, we could do it, but the question isn’t can we do it?” said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense now with the Middle East Institute in Washington. “It’s — should we do it? And the best route out is going to be diplomacy. I know it’s easier said than done, but diplomacy and negotiations only work if both sides are willing to compromise.”
Trump on Thursday also announced that Iran is allowing several Pakistan-flagged tankers through the strait. It’s something he hopefully suggested was a sign of good faith for the talks.
“Well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people,” Trump said.
– with AP
