How a US assault on Iran’s Kharg Island would unfold
Seizing the oil export hub by sea or air would choke the regime, but risks dragging American troops into an open-ended conflict.
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is currently training in the Philippine Sea. US Marine Corps
Steff Chávez and Charles Clover
The American troops approach Kharg Island, flying low on tilt-rotor aircraft and helicopters. Upon landing, they fan out over the vital oil export hub, all under Iranian fire.
The troops stick close to the island’s oil infrastructure for cover, confronting the Iranian regime with an extraordinary dilemma: destroy the oil facilities to get at them? Or hold back, allowing Washington to take control of the country’s economic backbone?
