Trump Weighs Kharg Island Operation as U.S. Sends Additional Warships and Marines and Confronts Navy Minesweeping Shortfalls in Campaign to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

📌 Key Facts

• Six U.S. Western allies issued a March 19 joint statement condemning Iran’s “de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” saying they are “ready to contribute to appropriate efforts” and begin preparatory planning — but stopping short of committing ships or other resources; the push for the statement was driven by the U.K. and Dutch leaders, Japan joined at the last minute, and France, Germany, Italy (and previously Japan) had ruled out sending warships.
• The U.S. and partner forces have escalated an air-and-helicopter campaign over the Strait of Hormuz — including low‑flying attack jets, A‑10 Warthogs repurposed to hunt Iranian fast‑attack craft, and Apache gunships shooting down or targeting attack drones — as part of a multistage plan to reduce threats from armed boats, mines and cruise missiles so warships and escorted commercial vessels can transit.
• Large airstrikes have targeted Kharg Island and other facilities: CENTCOM disclosed use of 5,000‑pound penetrating bombs on underground missile silos, and reporting indicates last week’s massive strikes on Kharg were both a warning shot and preparatory shaping for a possible ground operation, with most island defenses reportedly destroyed while oil‑handling infrastructure was left intact.
• The Trump administration is actively weighing more aggressive options, including occupying or blockading Kharg Island; one notional plan discussed by officials would use roughly a month of additional strikes to weaken Iranian forces and then seize the island to gain leverage — though no final decision has been made and senior advisers have publicly signaled willingness to consider a coastal invasion.
• Multiple Marine Expeditionary Units and amphibious forces are being sent to the region: roughly 2,200 Marines embarked on three warships were diverted from an Indo‑Pacific patrol, a second MEU of about 2,200 Marines departed California, the USS Tripoli is part of the deployment, and U.S. officials/press reports say three more warships carrying roughly 2,500 additional Marines are being deployed as the campaign continues.
• U.S. mine‑countermeasure (MCM) capability has atrophied over decades — warnings date to the early 1990s, the dedicated Mine Warfare Command was dismantled in 2006, and a 2025 study described the current state as “grim” — complicating efforts to reopen the strait; CENTCOM says it has destroyed 16 Iranian mine‑laying vessels and multiple mine storage bunkers, but analysts say it remains unclear how many mines, if any, are currently in the Strait.
• Military and maritime experts warn that if air and naval strikes and escorts do not sufficiently reduce attacks on shipping, achieving minimal or zero attacks would likely require U.S. ground forces ashore to seize and hold stretches of Iranian coastline; analysts also note ship owners and insurers have not been clearly briefed and tanker insurance costs could spike, possibly forcing Washington to consider compensation guarantees to induce transits.
• Diplomatic and domestic context: the U.S. quietly sought permission from Sri Lanka to park two arms‑loaded military aircraft there two days before airstrikes (Sri Lanka declined and is hosting survivors from a torpedoed Iranian warship), and at a March 20 White House event President Trump said the U.S. was “doing extremely well,” noted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine were in the Situation Room, and media updates placed U.S. casualties in Operation Epic Fury at 13 killed while the administration publicly denies plans for “boots on the ground” despite the growing amphibious presence.

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