Iran on Monday warned that any attempt by the United States to deploy ground forces on Kharg Island would be met with an immediate military response, after reports that President Donald Trump is weighing an expansion of US operations against the Islamic Republic.
Speaking at a press briefing, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei dismissed the reported plans, saying US forces would face the consequences if they entered Iranian territory. "They'll see the consequences. I think there are quite a few people in that region who are waiting for the moment to welcome" US troops, he said in remarks carried by Russian state news agency TASS.
The comments came days after The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that Trump is considering sending ground forces to seize Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf, as part of a broader military campaign. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also warned it would "immediately repel" any US incursion into Iranian territory, according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency.
The latest exchange underscores renewed tensions despite a memorandum signed by Tehran and Washington on June 18 aimed at ending hostilities that erupted earlier this year. Since July 8, however, US forces have launched multiple strikes against Iranian targets, saying the operations were in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has retaliated by targeting US military bases across the Middle East and has accused Washington of breaching the ceasefire memorandum.
