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.
Drones are a good tactical type weapon...not sure how much military value they offer. Iran is firing these things all willy-nilly. Mean while, their military and defenses are being ground into dust.
Harder and harder to come here. I can get TDS if I wanted that from professionals like MSNOW and Kimmel.
When it absolutely, positively has to be blown up overnight, send the Marines. Booyah! 👍
42 gallons per barrel.
Thanks for that.
It’s 1.2 billion gallons of crude.
+1
At this point boots on the ground is a fairly meaningless Elite Stream Media talking point.
Trump needs to do what he has to do.
The talking point that does matter will we still be “fighting” on July 4, 2026.
If Trump cares about his “legacy”, he will want to have the Iran offensive in the rear view mirror by the Fourth of July.
You’re fighting the last war. Entrenching and supplying thousands of Marines on an island under drone and missile threat is a huge task.
Iran could grant them ‘asylum’ and keep them. Not as dangerous but we’d have to keep our own ‘pipeline’ filled.
No ma'am, it's actually boots on yer face ma'am, well boots on the IRGC neck rather...
Yes! If you put your hands around your enemies throat and just choke him out completely dead, he might kick and scratch in his death throes. Anything but flat out win. Since WWII it's not nice or polite to do that anymore. We have to leave some terrorist money, technology and capacity so the next Demonrat POTUS can wag the dog again.
“Why is he opening is mouth before it happens.
He is endangering our troops.”
Everyone in the world knows where the MEF is going. It’s the ok only logical target for an amphibious Marine unit to go. X has been full of OSINT following the sat imagery of the LPH and it’s escorts making 30 knots leaving huge wakes you don’t push that hard unless it’s for a time pressing issue. They have to make it through the Straight first , then we get to see how many ASuW missiles , drones and UUVs they have left as surly they will throw everything at the huge capital ship running the gauntlet. Aegis will get outs first real swarm attack test as will SEARAM,SeaSparrow and CWIS on the inner tiers.
“The island is mostly useless as long as the Straits are closed”
You are wrong, in two ways, first the Straight is not closed it’s closed to USA and Israeli ships , China, India and Pakistan have all had ships with their AIS beacons on transit right near the Iranian coast outside the normal lane and with full Iranian permission.
Secondly see point one as long as Iran let’s their ships and buddies ships go through that island is funding their regime.
That island is going to capturned or destroyed it’s the only way to starve the mullahs. The choice is Marines on the ground or AF blowing it to bits but either way the oil must stop flowing under their control.
Not a MEF, but a MEU.
All in all, four MEU MAGTFs are steaming to support OUF.
Unfortunate that they are now being called for, as some of the MAGTFs are weeks away from being on station.
Sounds like well decks and landing craft are key. The USS Tripoli obviously does not have a well deck, as it's optimized for Marine aviation.
FD2030 has not been kind to the USMC. Lots of promises made. Hopefully these requests for MAGTFs will show FD2030 needs some... "modifications".
Would a MAGTF have been in the Mediterranean pre-FD2030? Perhaps. But as SECDEF Rumsfeld said, "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.”
spetznaz, pinging you as you always have good insights.
So the price of oil is up purely on speculators in the market? I think supply is somewhat constrained, even if there are ships sailing with their transponders off. Some ships probably want to avoid the entire area. So technically I concede my error, but this article says only 21 ships have passed through between Feb 28 and March 17th.
I agree, taking the Island has to be a priority to cut off all flow of cash to the Iranian regime. It is not without risk. Prayers for our servicemen. My guess is this is why Trump wants the UK and France to come in... so we take the Island and decide who gets the oil and where they should send the money... while the Euros defend the tankers since we’re preoccupied with other priorities for now.
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