Iran-Israel war: US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said Washington is considering “winding down” its military campaign in Iran, even as Pentagon deployed another US warship, the USS Boxer, towards the Persian Gulf, hinting at a ground invasion in Iranian mainland or the Kharg Island.
US ‘winding down’ in Iran?
In a Truth Social post, Donald Trump listed five objectives, he claimed the US was close to completion in Iran, and said the United States was considering to wrap up its “great Military efforts in the Middle East”.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” Trump wrote.
The objectives listed by the US president include;
- “Completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability, Launchers, and everything else pertaining to them”.
- “Destroying Iran’s Defense Industrial Base.”
- “Eliminating their Navy and Air Force, including Anti Aircraft Weaponry.”
- “Never allowing Iran to get even close to Nuclear Capability, and always being in a position where the U.S.A. can quickly and powerfully react to such a situation, should it take place.”
- “Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others”.
What Trump said about Hormuz?
On Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the critical waterway will “will have to be guarded and policed by other Nations who use it”.
“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them,” he added.
US planning ground invasion in Iran
Trump’s remarks come as the US dispatched the USS Boxer to the Middle East, presumably with goal of landing US troops in Iran and capturing the Kharg Island, considered the backbone of Iran’s oil trade, even as Tehran expanded the Middle East war well beyond the region by firing ballistic missiles at the US-British military base in Diego Garcia, at least 4,000 kilometres away in the Indian Ocean.
According to reports, Pentagon has dispatched the USS Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, along with rest of its ARG, carrying troops and equipment from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), raising speculations that Washington might be planning to land US Marine Commandos in Iran, or to capture Kharg Island.
Earlier, it had deployed USS Tripoli, an America-class amphibious assault ship, carries about 2,200 US Marines from the 31st MEU, and is moving towards the Middle East to assist in the US war effort against Iran.
Reports suggest the Trump administration is considering a siege of Iran’s Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, as the two US warships, USS Boxer and USS Tripoli, have a combined 4,700 troops with them.
