Trump Weighs Kharg Island Operation as U.S. Sends More Marines and Confronts Navy Minesweeping Shortfalls in Campaign to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
The Trump administration is weighing a risky operation to seize or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island — after preparatory airstrikes officials say have degraded Iranian defenses — as part of a broader campaign to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though no final decision has been made. Washington has ramped up strikes using A‑10s, Apaches and heavy munitions, repositioned amphibious forces and about 2,200 Marines to the region, and won a political statement of support from six allies that stopped short of committing ships, even as the effort is complicated by long‑standing shortfalls in U.S. mine‑countermeasure capabilities.
📌 Key Facts
- Six U.S. Western allies issued a March 19 joint statement condemning Iran’s “de facto closure” of the Strait of Hormuz and expressing readiness to contribute to preparatory planning for a coalition to reopen the waterway, but they stopped short of committing warships or other resources; the push for the statement was led by the U.K. and Dutch leaders, Japan joined at the last minute, and the U.K. has sent officers to CENTCOM to begin coalition planning.
- The U.S. has begun a multistage campaign to reduce threats to shipping in the Strait: low‑flying attack aircraft (including A‑10s repurposed to target small naval craft), Apache helicopters and other platforms have struck Iranian naval vessels and shot down attack drones, and CENTCOM disclosed use of heavy penetrating bombs against underground missile sites.
- U.S. forces carried out large airstrikes on Kharg Island as both a warning and preparatory shaping for a possible ground operation, reportedly destroying most island defenses while leaving oil pipelines intact; the Trump administration is actively considering occupying or blockading Kharg Island as leverage to force Iran to reopen the Strait.
- Multiple Marine units are en route to the region: roughly 2,200 Marines embarked on three warships were diverted from an Indo‑Pacific patrol and are steaming toward the Gulf, a second MEU of about 2,200 Marines and three warships departed California, and the USS Tripoli is part of the amphibious package — creating a growing amphibious presence despite public denials of plans for "boots on the ground."
- A notional U.S. plan discussed by officials envisages about a month of additional strikes to weaken Iranian forces before a possible seizure of Kharg, but retired and outside military experts warn that seizing and holding the island (or stretches of Iranian coastline) would be high‑risk, might not guarantee Iranian concessions, and could be required only if airstrikes and naval escorts cannot stop attacks on shipping.
- U.S. planners quietly sought Sri Lanka’s permission to land and station armed military aircraft there ahead of the airstrikes on Iran; Sri Lanka declined the request and is now hosting survivors from an Iranian warship that was torpedoed off its coast.
- U.S. Navy mine‑countermeasure capability has been allowed to atrophy for decades — warnings date back to the early 1990s, the dedicated Mine Warfare Command was dismantled in 2006, and a 2025 study described the current MCM posture as “grim” — complicating efforts to clear any mines in the Strait even as CENTCOM says it has destroyed roughly 16 Iranian mine‑laying vessels and multiple naval‑mine storage bunkers; analysts note it remains unclear whether mines are currently emplaced in the waterway.
📊 Relevant Data
The Air Force's pilot corps is 87.6% White, compared to at least 25% representation of other races in the overall force.
Air Force trying to diversify its largely white, male pilot corps with new strategy — Federal News Network
As of 2022, 18.6 percent of Marine Corps officers were racial minorities, compared to higher percentages in enlisted ranks.
There's a Diversity Gap in the Wardroom — US Naval Institute
The U.S. imports about 500,000 barrels of oil per day through the Strait of Hormuz, representing only a small fraction of its overall oil imports.
Why are your gas prices rising if the US barely imports any oil from the Strait of Hormuz? — ABC News
The U.S. Navy decommissioned its four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships stationed in Bahrain in 2025, after over 30 years of service, contributing to the current shortfall in dedicated minesweeping capabilities.
The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here's what they did — Navy Times
📰 Source Timeline (9)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 20, 2026
5:02 PM
US Navy lags in minesweeping, despite years of warnings and big defense budgets
New information:
- Analysts and historical internal Navy critiques show U.S. mine countermeasures (MCM) capability has been allowed to atrophy for decades, with a 2025 Center for Maritime Strategy study calling the current state of American minesweeping 'grim.'
- Vice Adm. Stan Arthur and other officers have been warning since at least the early 1990s that mine warfare was being neglected, and the Navy’s dedicated Mine Warfare Command was dismantled in 2006, described as a 'critical institutional blow.'
- CENTCOM officials, aware of the gap, estimate they have destroyed 16 Iranian mine‑laying vessels and multiple naval‑mine storage bunkers in recent strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
- Despite Iranian threats to lay mines, U.S. officials and outside analysts say it is unclear how many, if any, mines are currently in the Strait, with some arguing Tehran would publicize mine‑laying on social media if it had already done so.
- The Navy once had robust dedicated MCM ships and helicopters during the Cold War, reflecting an institutional understanding that keeping sea lanes open was fundamental to every other mission, but that force structure has been substantially drawn down.
4:26 PM
Around 2,200 Marines, 3 warships headed to Middle East as Iran war continues
New information:
- A second Marine Expeditionary Unit of about 2,200 Marines and three warships has departed California and is headed toward the Middle East.
- The first Marine Expeditionary Unit, coming from the Pacific, is still en route to the region; together they will put two MEUs in theater once fully in place.
- The USS Tripoli, a modern 'big deck' amphibious assault ship optimized for F‑35s, Ospreys and other aircraft, is part of the first group.
- CBS notes an Amphibious Ready Group–MEU package was last used when the USS Iwo Jima took part in the operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and has also been used for drug interdiction and oil‑cargo interception in the Caribbean.
- The article updates the U.S. casualty toll in Operation Epic Fury to 13 service members killed and reiterates Trump’s public denial of plans for 'boots on the ground,' contrasted with the growing amphibious presence.
3:08 PM
Experts: Reopening the Strait of Hormuz may require U.S. ground troops
New information:
- Multiple military and maritime experts tell MS NOW that achieving minimal or zero attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would likely require U.S. ground troops to seize and hold stretches of Iranian coastline if air and naval strikes prove insufficient.
- Retired Army Gen. James A. “Spider” Marks says Marines currently en route to the region are a contingency force to create a ground “buffer zone” should airstrikes not adequately suppress Iran’s ability to fire on transiting traffic.
- Jonathan Schroden of the Center for Naval Analysis distinguishes between tolerating some continued attacks on shipping — potentially manageable with extended strikes and naval escorts — and a much more demanding standard of security that would probably require putting troops ashore.
- Maritime historian Sal Mercogliano says ship captains waiting to transit the strait have not been briefed on any clear U.S. military plan, and experts warn tanker insurance costs could spike so sharply that Washington might need to guarantee compensation for any wartime damage to entice owners to sail.
1:13 PM
U.S. Military Ramps Up to Clear Strait of Hormuz
New information:
- Gen. Dan Caine publicly confirmed that low‑flying A‑10 Warthog aircraft are now being used to 'hunt and kill' IRGC fast‑attack craft in the Strait of Hormuz, a repurposing of the platform from close air support to ship‑killing roles.
- Regional allies, not named in the piece, are using Apache helicopter gunships to target Iranian one‑way attack drones threatening Gulf states and energy infrastructure.
- CENTCOM disclosed that several 5,000‑pound penetrating bombs were dropped earlier in the week on underground missile silos near the strait as part of efforts to degrade Iran’s anti‑shipping capabilities.
- Roughly 2,200 Marines embarked on three U.S. warships have been pulled off an Indo‑Pacific patrol and are now steaming toward the Persian Gulf, where options include helping clear the strait or participating in a possible seizure of Kharg Island.
9:44 AM
Trump mulls risky Kharg Island takeover to force Iran to open strait
New information:
- Four sources tell Axios the Trump administration is actively considering occupying or blockading Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- A source familiar with White House thinking says the notional plan is roughly a month of additional strikes to weaken Iranian forces, then seize the island and use it as leverage in negotiations.
- Three different Marine units are already en route to the region, and the White House and Pentagon are considering sending more troops.
- A senior administration official says Trump is willing to take Kharg Island or launch a coastal invasion if needed, though no decision has been made.
- Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery warns that seizing Kharg could expose U.S. troops to high risk without guaranteeing Iranian concessions and suggests escorts through the strait after about two more weeks of strikes are more likely.
- The piece confirms last Friday’s massive airstrikes on dozens of targets on Kharg were both a warning shot and preparatory shaping for a possible ground operation, with officials saying they have destroyed most defenses but left oil pipes intact.
9:34 AM
U.S. Asked to Keep Military Planes in Sri Lanka Before Iran Airstrikes
New information:
- The U.S. quietly sought Sri Lanka’s permission to land and park two arms‑loaded military aircraft on its territory two days before beginning airstrikes on Iran.
- Sri Lanka declined the request while it was also considering and ultimately rejecting an Iranian request to dock three warships, emphasizing its neutral posture.
- Sri Lanka is now hosting survivors from an Iranian warship the U.S. torpedoed off its coast days after the war began, plus sailors from another Iranian vessel.
1:00 AM
U.S. War Planes and Helicopters Kick Off Battle to Reopen Hormuz
New information:
- U.S. and allied forces have begun using low‑flying attack jets over the Strait of Hormuz sea lanes to strike Iranian naval vessels.
- Apache helicopters are actively shooting down Iranian drones as part of the same operation.
- Pentagon officials describe this as a multistage plan to reduce threats from Iranian armed boats, mines and cruise missiles that have halted traffic through the strait since early March, with a goal of eventually sending U.S. warships through and escorting commercial vessels.
March 19, 2026
3:13 PM
Six U.S. allies back potential Strait of Hormuz coalition
New information:
- Six U.S. Western allies released a joint statement on March 19 expressing support for a potential coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but stopped short of committing naval vessels or other resources.
- The U.K. and NATO Secretary General Marc Rutte orchestrated the push for the statement, with Rutte and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer persuading French President Emmanuel Macron to drop his opposition to a political declaration while deferring decisions on practical steps.
- Japan joined the statement at the last minute ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s White House meeting with President Trump, and the U.K. has already sent officers to CENTCOM in Tampa to begin coalition planning.
- The joint statement condemns Iran’s ‘de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz’ and Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and infrastructure, and says the allies are ‘ready to contribute to appropriate efforts’ and start ‘preparatory planning.’
- France, Germany, Italy and Japan have all previously ruled out sending warships during the war, and it remains unclear whether signing the statement will change those positions.