US Military Prepares Weeks Long Operation to Seize Kharg Island and Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Trump Threatens to Obliterate Iran as Pentagon Prepares Massive Operation to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

The United States military is preparing for a potential weeks long operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical oil chokepoint, following President Donald Trump's ultimatum to Iran demanding the waterway be opened within 48 hours or face the destruction of Iranian power plants.

According to reporting from The Washington Post and confirmed by multiple outlets, the Pentagon has deployed the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, comprising approximately 4,500 sailors and Marines, to the Middle East region. An additional 2,500 Marines trained in amphibious landings are also en route.

The operation's objectives go far beyond simply clearing the strait. Senior officials told reporters:

We want a strategic change, even if it takes time.

Perhaps most significantly, Israeli officials have suggested the operation may involve seizing Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil refinery hub that processes 90% of the nation's crude oil exports. The island sits just 15 miles offshore and its capture would cripple Tehran's financial resources.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has used drones and missiles to effectively shut down strait traffic since early March 2026, driving global oil prices sharply higher. Iranian military officials have threatened retaliation against Israeli and Gulf infrastructure in response to any military escalation.

A senior administration official told Axios that while the president "wants Hormuz open," the final decision on a ground operation has not yet been made. One source close to the planning stated:

We need about a month to weaken the Iranians more with strikes, take the island and then get them by the balls and use it for negotiations.

Israeli assessments suggest that controlling both the strait and Kharg Island could trigger Iran's economic collapse within months, as the regime would be unable to fund its military operations or support its proxy networks across the Middle East.

U.S. Central Command reports that American forces have already struck over 8,000 Iranian targets, including 130 vessels, since combat operations began on February 28, 2026.

Pentagon Weighs Kharg Island Seizure as Key to Ending Iran Standoff Over Hormuz Strait

The broader campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28 when the United States and Israel initiated coordinated airstrikes on Iranian military facilities, nuclear sites, and leadership targets. U.S. forces have since destroyed more than 20 Iranian navy ships and disabled Tehran's most operational submarine using a single MK 48 torpedo, marking the first such submarine engagement since World War II.

The Crusader's Opinion

Iran has spent decades funding terror, threatening Israel, and persecuting Christians inside its borders. Iranian believers worship in underground house churches because their own government will imprison or execute them for leaving Islam. Now this same regime thinks it can hold the global economy hostage by closing a strait that belongs to the entire world. Thank God we finally have leadership willing to call evil what it is. The Strait of Hormuz must be opened, Kharg Island must be neutralized, and the Iranian regime must understand that the civilized world will no longer tolerate their threats. Pray for the Iranian people and for the persecuted Christians living under that brutal theocracy. Pray for our servicemen and women heading into harm's way.

Take Action

• Pray daily for the estimated 800,000+ underground Christians in Iran who face imprisonment and execution for their faith. Lift up our military personnel deployed to the Middle East.
• Support persecuted Iranian Christians through Open Doors USA, which provides Bibles, training, and emergency aid to believers in Iran and across the Middle East.
• Give to The Shepherd's Shield to support Christian communities affected by conflict in the Middle East.
• Contact your congressional representatives and urge them to support strong action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and protect freedom of navigation. Find your representative at house.gov.
• Support Voice of the Martyrs in their mission to serve persecuted Christians worldwide, including those suffering under the Iranian regime.