The American President Donald Trump could authorize the deployment of ground troops to Iran, as part of military plans aimed at resolving the crisis related to the Strait of Hormuz, in the context of the impasse in negotiations, reported Axios, citing sources. The decision is expected to be analyzed in a high-level meeting with American military leaders, a signal that the USA is preparing to resume military operations to put additional pressure on Iran.
The CENTCOM commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, is expected to present a series of military options, including a high-risk scenario that involves sending troops into Iranian territory. The goal would be to force the Tehran regime to abandon the blockade on one of the most important maritime routes for oil transport, while the capture of Iranian nuclear material remains on the table.
Trump could approve a new round of air strikes described as “short and powerful”, which would be intended to put pressure on Iran to end the conflict and force it to be more flexible regarding the nuclear program. The joint US-Israel military campaign began on February 28 and was interrupted after the April 8 ceasefire, but the rounds of negotiations so far have not led to an agreement and have reached a deadlock after the American delegation no longer traveled to Islamabad.
In this context, the Pentagon would consider the use of a cutting-edge hypersonic weapon for the first time: the long-range missile known as “Dark Eagle”, reports The Sun, citing a Bloomberg report.
This has a range of approximately 2,700 kilometers and can reach speeds of up to Mach 5, being capable of striking heavily defended targets or missile launchers hidden underground. The cost of such a missile is estimated at about 11 million pounds, and the USA currently has less than eight units. The complete system would cost around 2 billion pounds. If used, it would be the first operational deployment of a hypersonic weapon that has not been declared fully operational.