Trump weighs expanding military operations against Iran - report
This expansion could include strikes on power plants, bridges, and even a possible ground operation
US President Donald Trump hosted a Situation Room meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the expansion of the war with Iran. According to multiple reports, talks included the potential seizure of Kharg Island and other territory along the Strait of Hormuz using US troops, as well as the potential bombing of a tunnel complex at Pickaxe Mountain, a nuclear-linked site the US has yet to target. The discussion was one of multiple conversations Trump has held in recent days with senior officials.
Over the past week, the US has carried out daily strikes on Iranian positions along the Strait of Hormuz, including on Wednesday on Greater Tunb Island, which has served as a base for the Iranian military. Officials said the strikes aim to degrade Iran's ability to prevent commercial vessels from transiting the waterway while also laying groundwork for larger operations.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said, "Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges... unless they get to the table and negotiate." However, Trump lambasted Iran for repeatedly breaking agreements despite wanting a deal, exclaiming, "They want to make a deal. But every time they make a deal, they break it." President Trump has been reportedly considering a ground invasion of Kharg Island, but told Fox, "we have other people that will do the ground campaign for us."
Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified underground site consisting of tunnels built into granite some 300 to 475 feet beneath the surface of a mountain peak, deeper than Iran's nuclear enrichment sites at Natanz and Fordow, which the US and Israel bombed last summer. The depth of the Pickaxe tunnels means they might not be vulnerable to direct hits from the US military's bunker-buster bombs. But the site is believed to be incomplete. Trump told Fox News that the US will "immediately go and do whatever we have to do" if Iran turns it into a functioning site, but "they haven't."
Retired Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said the US should still consider a Kharg Island operation, telling CBS News's 'Face the Nation,' "That's something we should think about doing because possession of Iranian soil would be a significant factor in future negotiations with Iran."