President Trump has threatened to deploy U.S. ground troops to seize Kharg Island, a key oil-processing hub, a move experts say would put American forces directly in harm's way and could still fail to end the conflict with Iran. Other reporting indicates such an operation would require substantial ground and airborne forces and that Iran has been reinforcing the island, increasing the risk of casualties and rapid escalation. Public discussion of this option, alongside troop-readiness briefings and maritime tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, raises the likelihood of further Iranian hardening of defenses and complicates diplomatic avenues.
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