Illustrative image. (U.S. Central Command)
The United States and Israel are undergoing the most intense preparations since last month’s ceasefire for renewed attacks on Iran, seeking to be ready as early as next week, The New York Times reported on May 15.
U.S. officials told the news daily that one of the options for an operation would include putting commandos on the ground to extract enriched uranium buried under rubble.
Such a complicated operation in Iranian territories would risk several casualties, as it would require thousands of supporting forces to create a perimeter around an operations area, and likely engage with Iranian ground troops, military officials warned.
Troops could also be used to conquer Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub in the Persian Gulf, the officials add, noting that another option would include more intense bombing of Iranian military and infrastructure sites,
The American-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 with the declared goals of degrading the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities, and creating the conditions for overthrowing the government there. The ceasefire reached last month has left those declared goals unfulfilled.
The last two weeks saw several clashes between the U.S. and Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, with the Islamic Republic targeting American warships and resuming strikes against Gulf states, namely the United Arab Emirates.
A proposal submitted by Iran the past weekend was very much rejected by the U.S. President Donald Trump, and since then diplomatic efforts led by Pakistan have led nowhere.
U.S. military buildup remains on a very high level. The country currently has two carrier strike groups in the Arabian Sea — one led by the USS George H.W. Bush and another by the USS Abraham Lincoln — in addition to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) — deployed on three amphibious assault ships, including the aircraft-carrying USS Tripoli.
The 11th MEU is expected to arrive in the region at any time aboard three more amphibious assault ships, including the aircraft-carrying USS Boxer.
Along with these naval forces, thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division and various elite special forces units were moved to the region.
U.S. warplanes, including dozens of aerial refueling tankers, also remain deployed across bases in the region, from Israel, to Jordan and the UAE.
The U.S. and Israel are certainly ready to resume the war on Iran, and have the means to launch a ground operation. This does not mean, however, that they will be successful. During the first round of fighting, Iran hit back hard, inflicting some serious losses. The Islamic Republic has been also preparing for a return to fighting, with recent reports suggesting that it was able to over 90 percent of its underground missile bases.
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si lo faranno e intanto 44 stati si sono messi d’accordo per processare i russi un processo come quello di norimberga, i russi se non chiudono la partita con i sarmat e oreshnik se li hanno altrimenti finiranno molto male.