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US Military Installation in Strait of Hormuz a 'Very, Very Hard Sell,' Says Jen Gavito
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March 20, 2026
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6:06Now PlayingJen Gavito, former State Department official in the Biden administration, said a military installation to secure the Strait of Hormuz for safe passage for oil tankers would not work without securing parts of the Iranian coast and that convincing oil companies to trust the security of the Strait would be a 'very, very hard sell' given Iran's air and drone strategy.
US officials say the White House is sending hundreds of Marines to the Middle East as it weighs a plan to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub. Deploying even a small number of troops on the ground in Iran carries huge risks for President Donald Trump.
Any effort to seize and hold Iran’s energy facilities would put US troops in far greater danger than they’ve already been exposed to so far in the conflict, which has seen 13 US fatalities to date. It would also add to the cost and scope of the conflict beyond an air campaign.
Just as charged would be the symbolism of American troops landing on Iranian soil and the accusation that Trump — who shot to popularity in part by criticizing the open-ended wars that dogged his predecessors — might be starting one of his own.
“It has tactical advantages, to be sure, but also likely high costs and no clear strategic endgame,” said Michael O’Hanlon, who specializes in defense strategy at the Brookings Institution think tank and previously advised the Pentagon and the CIA.
He said deploying a Marine Expeditionary Unit there would have “substantial risk of casualties, and with no obvious next step as to how such an action really accelerates regime change or even Iran’s willingness to negotiate an end to hostilities.”
For the time being, people familiar with the matter say momentum is building among Trump’s advisers for a limited operation.
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