The US may send up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Gulf, even as Washington touts a possible diplomatic end to the war.
The force would include infantry and armor, Pentagon officials told The Wall Street Journal, and would likely deploy within striking distance of Iran and its crucial oil export hub of Kharg Island.
The US has continued to amass units in the region — 2,000 paratroopers, 5,000 marines, and an aircraft carrier group among them — but analysts said it has few palatable options and, if anything, Iran retained the upper hand because of its control of the Strait of Hormuz and its armed forces’ resilience in the face of continued attacks.