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A retired general has said the US military has been working on plans for ground raids on Iran for years, as the probability of a limited assault with troops grows.
Retired General Frank McKenzuie, the former commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), told Margaret Brennan of the preparations on CBS “Face the Nation,” on Sunday.
“Margaret, for many years we’ve considered options along the southern coast of Iran, seizing islands, seizing small bases. Typically raids. And a raid is an operation with a planned withdrawal. You’re not going to stay. But some of those islands you could seize and hold. That would have a couple effects,” he said.
“First of all, it would be profoundly humiliating for Iran and would give us great weight in negotiations. The second, the example of Kharg Island, which everyone talks about, if you seize Kharg Island, you really can shut down the Iranian oil economy completely. And the beauty of seizing it is, you’re not destroying it.”
The Washington Post has claimed the US is now preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, “as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should President Donald Trump choose to escalate.”
“Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, said the officials. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss highly sensitive military plans that have been in development for weeks.”
Around 3,500 sailors and Marines arrived in the Gulf on Friday, aboard the USS Tripoli.
The Amphibious Ready Group of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit comprises “transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets.”
Despite the massing of troops who could be used in a ground assault on Iran, McKenzie said the US could achieve its objectives without deploying them.
“I think a success looks like the Strait of Hormuz is open. We get some kind of deal on the ballistic missile program, some kind of deal on the nuclear program. That’s probably about as much as you could hope for,” he said.
“I believe all of those things are actually within our grasp. We just need to continue. Iran will ultimately respond to the use of force.”
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