WASHINGTON, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon is weighing a possible deployment of airborne troops to support military operations in Iran, The New York Times reported Monday, citing senior defense officials.
The combat forces would come from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division's "Immediate Response Force," a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours, said the report, noting that so far nothing had been ordered by the Pentagon or the U.S. Central Command.
These forces could be used to seize Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub, according to the report.
Another option being considered, should U.S. President Donald Trump authorize U.S. troops to seize the island, is an attack by about 2,500 troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is on its way to the Middle East, said the report, citing officials speaking on condition of anonymity.
The "Immediate Response Force," or ready brigade, has deployed on short notice several times in recent years, said the report.
The U.S. Central Command said on Monday that the U.S. military has conducted more than 9,000 strikes in Iran, including damaging or sinking over 140 Iranian naval vessels, since the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, disrupting global shipping, sending oil prices soaring and shaking the global economy. ■