The United States has intensified its strikes on Iranian islands and military positions overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, while reinforcing its naval presence in the region. At the same time, discussion is growing in Washington over military options that could include a limited ground intervention if the confrontation continues to expand.
The escalation follows an announcement by US Central Command confirming strikes on dozens of military sites inside Iran. Satellite imagery analysed by Al Jazeera’s Open Source Unit also revealed fresh strike locations near Jask, Bushehr and Khondab.
US Focuses on Iranian Missile Sites Across the Gulf Islands
According to Al Jazeera’s military analysis, US operations remain concentrated on islands overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, targeting Iranian naval cruise missile storage facilities on Greater Tunb Island after carrying out similar strikes on Qeshm, Hengam, Jask, Sirik, Bandar Abbas, Kish and Abu Musa.
Washington considers these missile systems among the most significant threats to maritime navigation because their short launch distances make them more difficult to intercept. This explains the sustained focus on military infrastructure positioned close to key international shipping lanes.
Military Build Up Raises Questions Over Next Phase
The report also highlighted the scale of the US military deployment in the region, which now includes approximately 50,000 troops, two aircraft carriers, multiple warships, and the amphibious assault ships USS Tripoli and USS Boxer. These vessels carry thousands of troops trained in amphibious assault and expeditionary operations.
Despite the growing military presence, the deployment is viewed as more suitable for specialised intervention missions than for launching a large scale ground invasion, raising questions about the scope and objectives of any future operation.
Military Expert Outlines Possible Ground Scenarios
Military and strategic analyst Brigadier General Elias Hanna described Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export terminal, as one of the most sensitive potential targets. However, he explained that capturing the island would require a highly complex amphibious operation, while maintaining control would expose attacking forces to continuous Iranian counterattacks.
He also noted that the island contains substantial oil reserves, warning that direct attacks on its infrastructure could trigger a major environmental disaster. For this reason, Washington currently appears to favour a strategy combining naval, aerial and economic pressure to push Tehran back towards negotiations.
Strategy Aims to Reduce Iran’s Maritime Capabilities
Hanna believes the strikes on Iran’s Gulf islands form part of a broader campaign to dismantle military capabilities that threaten navigation through the Gulf, ultimately allowing shipping routes to reopen while reducing Iran’s ability to disrupt commercial maritime traffic.
He stressed that discussion of a ground intervention does not necessarily indicate plans to occupy Iranian territory. Instead, any operation could be limited to special forces missions or targeted amphibious landings designed to prepare for later phases should battlefield conditions change.
He also suggested Washington may choose an indirect approach by targeting the oil transport network linking the Khuzestan oil fields to Kharg Island rather than attempting to seize the island itself, thereby achieving both economic and military objectives at a lower operational cost.
The Battle for Maritime Deterrence
Hanna explained that Iran’s network of islands throughout the Gulf functions as an integrated military system that enables Tehran to monitor vessels travelling through deep waters. Consequently, targeting these positions forms part of a broader effort to dismantle Iran’s surveillance, command and control network around the Strait of Hormuz.
He added that Iran’s military doctrine is based on deterrence and denial, confronting what he described as a US strategy of coercion designed to increase the costs of confrontation until Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and accepts negotiation terms.
Iran’s geography also presents a major obstacle to any large scale ground campaign. Hanna pointed to the country’s mountainous interior, particularly the Zagros mountain range, as a significant defensive advantage that would make any prolonged invasion extremely difficult.
Finally, he explained that responsibility within Iran’s defence structure is divided between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which secures the Gulf and the islands surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, and the regular navy, which is responsible for the coastline extending towards Chabahar on the Arabian Sea. This division, he said, helps explain why US strikes have concentrated on Revolutionary Guard bases and Gulf islands, which play the central role in Iran’s control of the strategic waterway.
