Three major American newspapers, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hill, examined the military and geopolitical situation as fighting intensifies between the two sides, while Washington considers risky options to reopen the strategic waterway following Iranian attacks on shipping traffic.
The three newspapers noted that American officials face a difficult task, as they must make hard military decisions amid rising oil prices and fears that the ongoing clashes could expand into a broader regional conflict.
From Japan to the Middle East
According to The New York Times, the deployment of around 2,500 US Marine Corps troops could represent a new phase in the conflict.
These soldiers belong to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a rapid response force permanently stationed on Okinawa Island in southern Japan. The unit operates within the Indo Pacific Command area and includes a squadron of F 35 fighter jets and another of MV Osprey aircraft.
The newspaper noted that the arrival of these forces in the Middle East could allow the United States to conduct rapid strikes or limited ground operations against Iranian sites that threaten shipping traffic in the strait.
However, the deployment of the Marines also raises growing concern in Washington regarding Iran’s ability to disrupt global energy flows. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil passes, has become more dangerous after Iranian forces began targeting ships and threatening to plant mines in the area.
According to The New York Times, US airstrikes have forced Iranian naval units to avoid deploying larger vessels and instead rely on smaller, faster boats capable of planting naval mines while evading aircraft.
Military analysts cited by the newspaper say that these boats can operate from groups of islands near the strait, making them more difficult to detect and intercept.
The presence of a Marine expeditionary unit could allow US military commanders to launch raids on those locations and possibly deploy helicopter supported forces and aircraft to remove mines laid by Iran or destroy missile launch platforms.
Risks and Obstacles
The newspaper warns that such operations carry the risk of escalation. Marine expeditionary units, often described as America’s “911 emergency force”, are designed for rapid deployment during crises, but using them in raids on Iranian territory or nearby islands could deepen the conflict.
The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump has shown willingness to approve limited but offensive operations, raising fears that the war could expand.
Trump announced through social media that American forces carried out a major strike on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal.
According to the US president, the strike targeted Iranian military assets on the island while deliberately avoiding damage to oil infrastructure. The conflict has already produced significant economic consequences, with global oil prices rising by about 40 percent since hostilities began.
Although relatively small compared with the roughly 50,000 American troops already present in the region, Marine expeditionary units possess substantial capabilities.
Their amphibious assault ships can carry MV 22 Osprey aircraft, transport helicopters, and F 35 Lightning stealth fighters, while accompanying vessels transport Marines, artillery, and amphibious vehicles capable of conducting sea based landings.
These forces can also support escort missions for oil tankers through the strait and deploy electronic systems designed to counter drones.
Nevertheless, the deployment also raises concerns about broader strategic gaps. The New York Times reported that with Marine units engaged in operations in the Middle East and Venezuela at the same time, the United States may temporarily lack a rapid response force in the Pacific region, reducing resources available to address potential crises involving countries such as North Korea or Taiwan.
Securing the Strait of Hormuz
The challenge of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation was examined in greater detail by The Wall Street Journal.
In an analytical article, writer Jared Malsin explained that securing the shipping corridor would require significant military resources and potentially months of operations.
He said the United States is currently hesitant to send ships into the strait, which is only about 32 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.
Although Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth pledged to send warships to escort oil tankers targeted by Iran, Malsin cited US naval officers who warned that Iranian drones and anti ship missiles could turn the strait into “a killing zone for American sailors”.
The newspaper reported that one option under discussion to pave the way for naval escort missions would be intensifying air power to track Iranian missiles and drones and destroy them before they can be launched at ships in the strait.
Another option involves deploying ground forces to control territory surrounding the waterway while providing them with air cover and mine clearing capabilities.
Escorting Ships
Experts estimate that two warships may be required to escort each oil tanker, or about 12 ships to protect convoys of five to ten tankers in order to provide the necessary air defence. The short distances involved also make intercepting missiles and drones far more difficult.
Despite the extensive damage inflicted by American and Israeli attacks on Iran’s navy and military capabilities, its commanders still appear capable of carrying out attacks, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Naval analyst Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute estimated that in addition to warships, at least 12 MQ 9 Reaper drones would be needed to patrol the skies and target Iranian missile and drone launch platforms as soon as they appear along the coastline.
Even with these resources, escort operations could significantly slow shipping traffic. According to shipping analysts cited by The Wall Street Journal, security procedures could reduce oil tanker traffic through the strait to only about 10 percent of its normal levels.
The most ambitious option discussed by military planners involves sending ground forces to control parts of Iran’s southern coastline in order to eliminate missile and drone threats.
Reports indicate that more than 600 commercial vessels are already stranded in the Gulf awaiting safe passage, and clearing this backlog could take months.
Such an operation would likely begin with large scale airstrikes followed by amphibious landings by Marine forces. However, experts warn that this approach could evolve into a far larger military commitment.
Malsin wrote that Iranian armed forces, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, possess experience in asymmetric warfare and could launch continuous attacks on American forces.
Analysts cited by The Wall Street Journal warn that limited raids could extend for a much longer period if the United States attempts to maintain control over coastal areas near the strait.
Risk Laden Options
In their report for The Hill, military affairs correspondent Ellen Mitchell and her colleague Filip Timotija examined the dilemma facing the US administration as it attempts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while avoiding a wider war.
The reporters wrote that naval escort operations could expose American vessels to drones, mines, and fast attack boats used by the Iranian navy.
The newspaper argues that escorting ships through the waterway with military vessels could be costly and risky, while using ground forces to secure Iran’s coastline would represent “a new escalation and an unpopular political shift”.
Both options, intended to prevent an oil crisis amid the sharp rise in global prices, carry a significant risk of additional casualties. Thirteen American service members have already been killed in this war.
Reopening the strait through negotiations to end the war would introduce another set of complications.
According to The Hill, such a path would leave the Iranian regime in place while it continues to possess nuclear materials, making it difficult for the United States to declare victory based on the objectives announced by Donald Trump.
In an interview with the newspaper, Stephen Wills, a maritime affairs expert at the Center for Maritime Strategy, said the military has two options: either seize Kharg Island to force Tehran to stop choking the strait, or have the US Navy escort ships through the passage, but only after clearing the naval mines.
He described the situation as “difficult and chaotic”, explaining that each mine must be dealt with individually, a process that presents a significant challenge for the US Navy.
According to the newspaper, Iran possesses more than 5,000 naval mines, described as “the largest stockpile of its kind in the world”. These range from older contact mines to more advanced bottom influence devices that explode once they detect magnetic or acoustic signals emitted by passing ships. Even a small number of mines can disrupt shipping lanes and require precise and laborious clearance operations.
In conclusion, the three newspapers agree that fully securing the Strait of Hormuz may be extremely difficult without a broader political resolution to the conflict.
Even if American forces succeed in reducing Iran’s ability to attack ships, commercial shipping companies and insurers may remain reluctant to send vessels through the strait unless they are convinced that the risk of attack has significantly decreased.
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