The Trump administration is actively weighing the deployment of thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, with officials considering ground operations inside Iran itself — a dramatic potential escalation of a three-week-old war that has already rattled global energy markets and claimed the lives of American service members.
The Trump administration has been discussing deploying thousands of troops to reinforce its military operation in the Middle East, as it prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran. Options under consideration include securing safe passage for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a mission that would rely primarily on air and naval support, as well as potential ground operations at Iran’s Kharg Island, the hub for approximately 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports.
The White House moved swiftly to manage expectations. “There has been no decision to send ground troops at this time, but President Trump wisely keeps all options at his disposal,” a White House official said on condition of anonymity. Yet the deliberations represent a significant shift in tone from the administration’s earliest assurances. Vice President JD Vance had said just nine months ago that the US had “no interest in boots on the ground,” but the administration has since refused to rule out the prospect as the war has evolved in directions that were not initially anticipated.
The US Central Command has already requested the deployment of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, usually based in Japan, to the region. The force — comprising approximately 2,500 Marines and 20 F-35B Lightning II fighter jets aboard the USS Tripoli, USS San Diego, and USS New Orleans — is now heading to the Middle East.
The most audacious option being considered is a move on Kharg Island. The United States carried out strikes against military targets on the island on March 13, and Trump has threatened further action. Officials have noted that controlling the island would likely be viewed as a more strategically valuable option than destroying it, given its pivotal role in Iran’s economy — though one official warned that such an operation would be extremely risky, as Iran can reach the island with missiles and drones.
A further option being examined is the seizure of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with discussions centering on either removing the material from Iran entirely or bringing in nuclear experts to dilute it on-site, potentially involving specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency alongside special operations forces.
The human cost of the war so far has been sobering. Even without any ground deployment inside Iran, 13 US troops have been killed and approximately 200 wounded — the vast majority with minor injuries — since the conflict began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Domestically, the prospect of ground troops faces fierce resistance. A CNN poll conducted shortly after the war began showed Americans opposed sending ground troops by a five-to-one margin of 60 per cent to 12 per cent, while a Quinnipiac University poll put opposition at nearly four-to-one among registered voters. Even Republican lawmakers have broken ranks, with Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana quipping that he would faint if Trump sent in troops, while Senators Josh Hawley and Nancy Mace have urged the president to chart a different course.
Iran, meanwhile, has emerged as the de facto gatekeeper of the Strait of Hormuz, exploiting its control of the waterway’s northern shore to dictate terms of passage. Analysts say Iran’s geography — its ability to deploy fast attack boats, drones, and missiles — makes any naval escort mission extraordinarily complex, noting that unlike the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, the US is now a direct party to the conflict.
Trump has demanded that NATO allies and China send warships to help secure the strait, warning that it would be “very bad for the future of NATO” if countries refused. So far, those demands have been largely rebuffed. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, struck a defiant tone, insisting that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed as a “tool to pressure the enemy,” while Trump suggested the war was far from over, saying the US “has ammunition and plenty of time” to keep fighting.
