NEW YORK, March 30. /TASS/. US Special Operations forces that have arrived in the Middle East, joining thousands of Marines and Army paratroopers, have not yet been assigned specific missions, but they could be used to ensure shipping security in the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing US officials.
According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the elite units, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, who have just arrived in the region, have not yet been assigned specific missions. However, the commandos "could be deployed as part of a mission to try to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s oil hub in the northern Persian Gulf. Alternatively, they could be used in a mission aimed at Iran’s highly enriched uranium at the Isfahan nuclear site," the publication states.
Earlier, 2,500 Marines and another 2,500 sailors arrived in the Middle East, bringing the total number of US military personnel in the region to over 50,000.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.
Iranian authorities also decided to close the Strait of Hormuz to vessels associated with the US, Israel, and countries that supported the aggression against the Islamic Republic. On March 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran had allowed passage through the Strait of Hormuz to friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan.