Hundreds of U.S.Marines storm ashore as helicopters thunder overhead, Navy warships and fighter jets establish overwhelming air and sea superiority, and commanders issue one final warning to Iranian forces: surrender or be overrun.That is how military experts envision the opening hours of a potential U.S.
operation to seize Iran's Kharg Island—the tiny but strategically vital island that handles roughly 90% of the Islamic Republic's crude oil exports and has become the centerpiece of Washington's economic pressure campaign against Tehran.The scenario was thrust back into the spotlight Tuesday after President Donald Trump declined to rule out taking the island."I can't say that to you because if I did, it would be foolish," Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst during an exclusive interview on ‘Special Report’ when asked directly whether he planned to seize Kharg island.
He added that previous U.S.strikes intentionally avoided the island's oil facilities because they are "a chunk of the world economy."TRUMP HAS 3 CHOICES TO DEFINE VICTORY IF HE WANTS TO BEAT IRAN.
NONE OF THEM ARE EASYSatellite view of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran.(Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)"There are a lot of ways to skin this cat," Vice Adm.
(Ret.) Robert Harward, former deputy commander of U.S.Central Command, told Fox News Digital in an interview.Harward explained a Marine Expeditionary Unit could conduct an amphibious assault while U.S.
naval and air forces establish complete control over the battlespace, giving Iranian defenders an opportunity to surrender before major fighting begins.The goal, he said, would not simply be to capture the island but to preserve the oil infrastructure that could one day serve a post-Islamic Republic government."The real objective at the end of the day is to minimize risk," said Harward.
"Not only to your own forces, but to the people you're coming in contact with...