The United States was reportedly exploring military options to seize Iran’s Kharg Island even as diplomatic efforts to end the war between the two countries faltered on Wednesday. Kharg handles 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports and is seen in Washington as potential leverage to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded to the threat with a stark warning, telling intermediaries it would use overwhelming force against any landing troops, including bombing its own territory.
The threat of a ground operation emerged amid a broader diplomatic impasse. Iran rejected the US ceasefire proposal delivered via Pakistan, dismissing it as unreasonable, and submitted its own five-point counter-plan. Tehran’s conditions included an end to attacks, security guarantees, war compensation, and retained control over the Strait of Hormuz. These demands are unlikely to be accepted by the US, particularly the Hormuz clause.
The 82nd Airborne Division, a US military unit specialised in rapid deployment into contested territories, was among the reinforcements being sent to the region. Additional thousands of marines and sailors were also being mobilised. The military buildup suggested the administration was keeping ground options open even as it sought a negotiated solution. Iran’s parliament speaker warned that any attack on Kharg Island would prompt retaliatory strikes against any neighbouring country that facilitated the operation.
An unnamed Iranian military official said Iran would also open new fronts in the Red Sea if the US launched a ground invasion, threatening to extend the conflict into yet another critical global shipping corridor. The threat underscored Iran’s strategy of asymmetric escalation — using its ability to disrupt global trade as leverage against a militarily superior adversary. Iran’s Iranian officials reportedly conveyed to a third-country diplomat that they were prepared to bomb their own territory rather than allow US forces to hold Iranian soil.
President Trump publicly downplayed the risks, insisting a deal was close and that Iran’s leaders privately wanted peace. White House officials said the US remained committed to its original four-to-six-week timeline for ending the war. However, with Trump’s approval rating at a record low of 36% and nearly 60% of Americans saying the conflict had gone too far, the political costs of continued fighting were mounting rapidly.