Two unnamed US officials told The Washington Post on Saturday that the Defense Department is gearing up for raids on Kharg Island, where 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports are processed, and coastal sites close to the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are transported in peacetime, was in effect closed by Iran after the first US-Israeli strikes on Tehran a month ago. Since then, only a few mostly Chinese-, Indian- and Pakistani-flagged ships have been granted safe passage.
This has crippled global energy markets and sent the price of Brent crude, the global benchmark, soaring from about $65 per barrel pre-war to close to $116 on Monday. The US military plans, which appear to fall short of a full invasion, could involve raids by special operations and conventional infantry troops, the Post reported.
On Sunday in an interview with the Financial Times, US President Donald Trump said he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize Kharg Island. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said US troops would face resistance if they attempted an invasion.
“Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all,” he said in a statement on Sunday carried by the official IRNA news agency.As of mid-2025, long before the war on Iran began, there were 40,000 to 50,000 US soldiers stationed around the Middle East, comprising personnel stationed in both large, permanent bases and smaller forward sites across the region.
Trump has been beefing up the US military presence in the Middle East since the start of this year, initially sending warships, including the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to the Arabian Sea.
According to open-source intelligence analysts and military flight-tracking data, the US has deployed more than 120 aircraft to the region since early February. It is the biggest surge in US airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War.
Reported deployments include E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, F-35 stealth strike fighters and F-22 air superiority jets alongside F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft. Flight-tracking data showed many of these planes departing bases in the US and Europe, supported by cargo aircraft and aerial refuelling tankers, a sign of sustained operational planning rather than routine rotations, military analysts said.
Source: Here