Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said Tuesday that the 2,500 U.S. Marines deploying to the Middle East could be used to seize Iran's Kharg Island, but argued the mission would not constitute "boots on the ground."
Appearing Tuesday on CNN, Sessions said he supports occupying the island and was asked whether he would support deploying U.S. ground troops in Iran.
"I actually spoke to some media last night, and I indicated that I believe that what these 2,500 Marines of the Marine Expeditionary Force would be, would be to probably secure the island," he said.
"The island is not, in my opinion, boots on the ground in combat circumstances," Sessions added.
Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran's crude exports. The island became the country's main export hub after pipelines linking major mainland fields — including Gachsaran — were built in the late 1950s and expanded through the 1960s.
Sessions continued to spar with the anchor over whether the move would amount to "boots on the ground," a step that would mark a major escalation in the war in Iran.
"But what I would say is the president has chosen not to obliterate the ability to get oil. And I think he wants to go secure that to make sure the Iranians don't do themselves in," he said.
"So I think it's probably wisdom. Is that boots on the ground?" Sessions asked.
"No, not like inside Iran, where they're in the cities where we go through circumstances that we've had in the past of large areas of population, combatants against us, and it is a mess."
Sessions said he believes boots on the ground is what happened in military situations in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
"That is not what we are talking about — or at least I am," he said.
"I'm talking about to secure this facility, the oil facilities, which are in everyone's best interest."
President Donald Trump said Monday it would take "just one simple word" for the United States to destroy the oil infrastructure on the island.
Late last week, the United States struck Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, about 15 miles off Iran's coast in the Persian Gulf.
Trump said Monday that the U.S. deliberately spared the island's oil infrastructure, warning it could be targeted if Iran disrupts shipping in the region.
"As you know, we attacked Kharg Island and knocked it ... literally destroyed everything on the island except for the area where the oil is," Trump said.
"I call it the pipes. We left the pipes. We didn't want to do that, but we will do that. We can do that on five minutes' notice; it will be over," he continued.
"But for purposes of someday rebuilding that country, I guess we did the right thing. But it may not stay that way. Just one simple word, and the pipes will be gone, too. But it will take a long time to rebuild that."
Iranian officials promised harsh repercussions should the U.S. or Israel target its oil infrastructure, but Trump said Tehran lacks the military capacity to carry out such threats.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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