BlockBeats News, March 19th. On March 19th, the U.S. “Wall Street Journal” cited sources as reporting that the U.S. is deploying additional troops to the Middle East and may seize a key Iranian oil export hub to pressure Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. The report said that the approximately 2,200-strong U.S. Marine Corps’ 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is aboard amphibious assault ships traveling from Japan to the Middle East, with an expected arrival time of about a week.
The U.S. may use this force to occupy Harq Island as leverage to compel Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. Former U.S. Central Command commander Frank McKenzie said, “(The U.S. military) could destroy its (Harq Island’s) oil infrastructure, causing irreversible damage to Iran and the global economy. Or we could occupy it as a bargaining chip.”
