Trump Warned of Heavy US Losses in Khark Island Plan
US military officials warned Trump that a plan to seize Iran’s Khark island could require major ground forces and cause heavy American losses.
US military officials have warned President Donald Trump that a possible operation to seize Iran’s Khark island could lead to serious American losses, CNN reported, citing sources.
Trump earlier said the United States could take control of the Iranian island. He noted that he had long viewed such a scenario as preferable, while also questioning whether Americans would support a prolonged military operation.
According to CNN, the Pentagon had been working on the plan for several months. Its implementation, however, was delayed because of the high risks raised by both Pentagon representatives and administration officials.
Officials told Trump that such an operation would likely require a significant number of ground troops and could result in heavy US casualties.
Inside the Pentagon and the White House, the option was not treated as a routine course of action but as a last-resort measure at the final stage of the conflict. CNN’s sources assessed that capturing Khark could alter the balance of forces.
Khark lies in the northern Persian Gulf and hosts Iran’s largest oil terminal.
On June 11, speaking on Fox News, Trump warned that strikes on Iran planned for the night of Friday, June 12, would be stronger than previous ones. He also allowed for the deployment of a limited contingent to Iranian territory, claiming that a small group of troops could take everything there.
The US president also said he was now less interested in an agreement with Iran than he had been a month earlier. According to him, Washington could escalate further, although he doubted that such a move would receive support from the American public.