BBC Expert Warns Trump's 'Risky' Iran Plan Will Make US Troops 'Sitting Ducks'
Donald Trump’s plan for a ground operation in Iran will make US troops “sitting ducks”, according to the BBC’s chief international correspondent.
The US president claims he is considering seizing Iran’s major fuel hub of Kharg Island as his war against Tehran escalates – though he insists a peace deal could still be made.
Meanwhile US officials say troops are preparing for a possible ground operation, and Iran has threatened to “rain fire upon” American soldiers who approach.
But the BBC’s Lyse Doucet has warned that sending troops into Kharg Island will make them incredibly vulnerable to Iranian attacks.
The specialist said this would be a “major and risky” operation with as many as 50,000 troops potentially facing fire from Iranian artillery and fast boats.
“And then what?” She told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme. “They’re sitting ducks. How do you control the island, how do you hold it, how do you resupply it?”
Doucet added: “There are hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who are hoping that is what President Trump is going to do.
“Their whole strategy in this war is to increase the cost for the United States.
“Nothing increases the cost more than killing American soldiers.”
She said US Gulf allies would be vulnerable to any retaliatory attacks too, concluding: “This would be a major escalation and wouldn’t bring the war end.”
Taking the island would cut off one of Iran’s main lifelines as 90% of their oil went through that hub before the conflict began.
But it remains unclear just how much Tehran relies on it since the war escalated.
On Trump’s claims someone more “reasonable” is in charge in Iran right now, Doucet said: “It’s just not clear who is in charge in Iran.
“There is of course president Trump’s confusion between regime change and change in the regime.
“He used to separate them but now he sees them as one and the same. It’s not one and the same.”
She noted that the more hardline elements have been left in the wake of Trump’s strikes, even though major figure heads such as Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei have been killed.
The president has said he could “take the oil In Iran”, and even joked about renaming the major oil shipping lane to the south of the country after himself.
On Friday, he said Iran has to “open up the Strait of Trump – I mean, Hormuz,” triggering laughter from the crowd.
Trump joked: “Excuse me. I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake. The fake news will say, ‘He accidentally said’ – no, there’s no accidents with me, not too many. If there were, we’d have a major story.”