Washington:
Even though US President Donald Trump said he pushed back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, reports have indicated that the American military might be weighing sending ground forces to seize Iran’s strategic oil hub of Kharg Island. He told reporters that Iran asked him for a week to reach the terms of the truce. “I said, ‘I am going to give you 10’,” he said.
Trump claimed his generous gesture was in exchange for Iran’s gift of allowing passage to eight ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but some analysts believe it could also be a ruse to buy time to amass thousands of additional troops near Tehran. The Pentagon has already sent a batch of US troops to the Middle East this week and is even looking to send up to 10,000 additional ground soldiers to give Trump more military options, even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
With another Saturday approaching — Trump’s preferred day to launch strikes on Iran after the markets close for the week – experts have predicted that there’s a high possibility of the US putting boots on the ground.
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