Posted on 03/17/2026 4:36:20 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) says he believes the 2,500 U.S. Marines headed to the Middle East will be used to seize Iran’s Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.
On Friday night, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. military “totally obliterated every military target” on Kharg, through which 90% of Iran’s oil exports pass. The president said the island’s oil infrastructure was left intact, but added that if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he will “reconsider this decision.”
Sessions appeared on Tuesday’s CNN News Central, where Kate Bolduan asked the congressman if he would support their deployment in Iran. Sessions replied that he would support the occupation of Kharg, and insisted that this would not constitute “boots on the ground.”
“Are you okay with putting those troops on the ground?” she inquired.
“I actually spoke to some media last night, and I indicated that I believe that what these 2500 Marines of the Marine Expeditionary Force would be, would be to probably secure the island. The island is not, in my opinion, boots on the ground in combat circumstances.”
“How so?” an incredulous Bolduan asked. “It is Iran.”
“Well, I’m not gonna argue that point,” Sessions conceded. “As a matter of fact, you’re right. But what I would say is the president has chosen not to obliterate the ability to get oil. And I think he wants to go secure that to make sure the Iranians don’t do themselves in. So, I think it’s probably wisdom. Is that boots on the ground? No, not like inside Iran, where they’re in the cities where we go through circumstances that we’ve had in the past of large areas of population, combatants against us. And it is a mess.”
“Ok, but it is boots on the ground,” she said. “It’s just not a large number of boots on the ground that you would oppose.”
“No,” Sessions responded. “I really want to make this point. When we think boots on the ground, we think going back to Somalia, we think going back to Iraq, we think about going to Afghanistan. That is not what we are talking about. Or at least I am. I’m talking about to secure this facility, the oil facilities, which are in everyone’s best interest.”
Kharg Island is about 400 miles from the Strait of Hormuz and sits just 15 miles off the Iranian coast. If the U.S. were to take the island, any soldiers there could be subject to an onslaught of Iranian drones and missiles. Moreover, it is unclear if the seizure of the island would generate enough pressure on the Iranian government to reopen the strait.
“The Dirty Dozen”
Trump is trying to contain China. That is what Venezuela and Iran are about. Iran has to be avoided from the Islamacists taking it back, because they will go North Korea if they win.
“I hope you Libertarian TDS tards give heavily to Free Republic because you’ve chased away a lot of Patriots.”
I’m afraid you’re right.
Harder and harder to come here. I can get TDS if I wanted that from professionals like MSNOW and Kimmel.
Think about it. We invest billions in this. We will have a base right there.
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Not disagreeing with you, but that looks like a nice-to-have.
Trump would like to get something out of this campaign for transitioning the government of Iran away from the Mullahs.
He’ll likly seize Kharg until the government changes. and then hold it until things settle down and then leave once all the deals are signed.
I don’t think the iranians are escalating from here. they don’t have than means.
One man can provide “boots on the ground.”
Well they would have less of them after they shot them off, I think at this point they are probably getting pretty low on all their missiles and drones. And my gut feeling is the Marines are bringing in technologies that can track where all that missiles and drone stuff are coming from easier then from a USA naval ship, I may be wrong about that but at this point it's a game of the whack a rag head when the stick their heads out of their figurative hole, or whack their holes or building they come out of to smithereens.
When Trump blew up the island last week he also destroyed the only plane runway so how will they get resupplied now of they invade?
I saw three aircraft on the runway which were hit. Probably did not even damage the runway much.
What’s your point?
I was responding to Captain Peter Blood’s comment that the runway was destroyed.
“..Why is he opening is mouth before it happens. He is endangering our troops..”
Yep. And then, these useless, thieving turds have the audacity to ask why they’re not briedf in advance of major military actions....
The PUbes mouth everyting off to the mdia..
The Communists inform their best buds that it’s coming.
Treat em like mushrooms. keep em in the dark and feed em shite....
The simple answer to your so? Is that small wars prevent large ones. Taking Iran out now is the equivalent of having taken out Hitler when he threatened to invade Poland. Had we killed him then, we wouldnt have had WWII.
Would not surprise me as we have 5,000 marines headed that way. Kharg Island isn’t technically boots on the ground but the Commiecrats and MSM will lose their minds. Maybe Tucker will jump out of his basement window.
“Sessions is a loudmouthed idiot. “
Indeed.
Kargh approx 2 miles by 4 miles.
On any given day it has up to 30 million barrels of crude on it...120 million gallons.
If Iran wanted to it could light it. It would make Saddam’s pyrotechnic display look amateur.
NOBODY wants to be on that island if it gets lit. Least of all our US Marines.
“...30 million barrels of crude...120 million gallons...”
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Check your math.
Is it a war yet?
“Bunches of us have long expected boots of some nature to be on the ground of Kharg. Could have been special forces; now it seems it will be Marines. There are likely some special assignments for the more elite troops. There will not be boots on the ground as there were in Afghanistan or Iraq.”
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Be sure to tell the next Marine you meet that he’s not an elite troop. I’m sure he’ll appreciate your deep insight.
“Would not surprise me as we have 5,000 marines headed that way. Kharg Island isn’t technically boots on the ground but the Commiecrats and MSM will lose their minds. Maybe Tucker will jump out of his basement window.”
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Yep. We already have 2500 Marines in the theater, with another 5000 on the way. 7500 Marines is a Division.
A Division of Marines counts as “boots on the ground.”
“When Trump blew up the island last week he also destroyed the only plane runway so how will they get resupplied now of they invade?”
the Sikorsky CH-53 series, particularly the CH-53E Super Stallion and the new CH-53K King Stallion, is fully capable of lifting and transporting runway repair equipment. These helicopters are designed for heavy-lift logistics, including transporting construction vehicles, supplies, and equipment to forward operating bases and remote locations.
BTW it’s President Trump.
Our Army and Navy have fielded drone killing lasers.
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