{"id":49807,"date":"2026-03-30T21:43:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T21:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/03\/30\/limited-missions-big-risks-what-a-us-ground-fight-in-iran-could-become\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:35:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:35:54","slug":"limited-missions-big-risks-what-a-us-ground-fight-in-iran-could-become","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2026\/03\/30\/limited-missions-big-risks-what-a-us-ground-fight-in-iran-could-become\/","title":{"rendered":"Limited missions, big risks: What a US ground fight in Iran could become"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U.S. troops are deploying to the Middle East<\/a> by the thousands as the Pentagon<\/a> weighs the possibility of ground operations in Iran. The movement raises a question: What would those missions actually look like on the ground?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military analysts point to several possibilities, including coastal assaults<\/a>, nuclear site raids or operations deeper inside the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any one of these missions could unfold alone or evolve into something more broad. But across each scenario, U.S. forces would enter an environment where Iranian missiles<\/a>, drones and ground units could begin targeting them as soon as they arrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A battle for the waterway<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One version of the fight would likely unfold along the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. forces could be tasked with seizing islands or coastal positions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a global shipping route that has been heavily disrupted by the war with Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mission could be a limited ground incursion, with Marines and airborne units deploying to seize important terrain, said Joe Costa, director of the Forward Defense program at the Atlantic Council\u2019s Scowcroft Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division walk the flightline before conducting airborne operations at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Jan. 28, 2026. (Spc. Noe Cork\/U.S. Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

President Donald Trump has publicly threatened Kharg Island, Iran\u2019s primary oil export hub, which is located off the country\u2019s coast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Truth Social post<\/a> on Monday, he said the U.S. would finish its \u201cstay\u201d in Iran, by \u201ccompletely obliterating\u201d Kharg Island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costa, a former senior Pentagon official who worked on U.S. war plans, including Iran, acknowledged speculation about Kharg, but also described a scenario in which U.S. forces would try to secure islands such as Abu Musa, Larak and the Tunbs, off Iran\u2019s southern coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis helps us take out Iranian reconnaissance units as we think of ways to reopen Hormuz. If you have the ability to secure some of the ports along the coast as well, you go a long way to supporting naval assets to start to open up the Strait,\u201d Costa said, adding that the operation could rely on Marine units for the initial assault, with airborne forces supporting limited incursions and air assault operations \u2014 all under U.S. air superiority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USS Tripoli and embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived<\/a> in the region\u2019s waters last Friday, and the elements of the 82nd Airborne Division are deploying to the Middle East, the Pentagon confirmed<\/a> last week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An opening fight would not be in isolation, Costa said, and though there are mixed reports about Iranian military capacity right now, the country still appears to have functional command and control and is capable of attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first waves of U.S. ground troops would undoubtedly face Iranian fire, Costa warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have overwhelming force and would likely be successful in securing territory, but at that point every commander will face the daily decision of assuming risk to troops or risk to mission \u2014 force protection becomes paramount, especially if we start to see casualties mount up,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cThere\u2019s a high risk of that in this operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Targeting nuclear sites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A different type of operation would focus on Iran\u2019s nuclear program instead of territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of seizing ground, U.S. forces could be tasked with entering fortified sites and securing material, likely under fire and deep within Iranian territory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An operation aimed at seizing enriched uranium would likely involve special forces at a nuclear site in Isfahan, a populous city in the center of the country, said Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Iran\u2019s missiles and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A U.S. Marine with Force Reconnaissance Platoon, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, during an exercise in the Philippine Sea, Feb. 4, 2026. (Lance Cpl. Victor Gurrola\/U.S. Marine Corps)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Excavating nuclear material would require a myriad of support, from construction equipment to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear assets, Grajewski, a professor at Sciences Po, said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ground forces would likely have to dig deep underground to access the highly enriched uranium canisters \u201cand then go in there, excavate it, then get out of the country,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An extraction team would likely be met with force. The area is heavily trafficked, and the nuclear site in Isfahan is located near numerous military and missile facilities, making it exceedingly risky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grajewski described the operation as likely \u201cone that the U.S. military has not really done before,\u201d and said experts could only speculate on how it would be accomplished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure how they\u2019re thinking about doing it,\u201d she said, pondering if \u201cthey\u2019re going to fly in there and do this quick extraction under the guise of night?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s response<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even targeted operations like seizing an island or extracting nuclear materials carry the risk of evolving into something larger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan Grazier, the director of the National Security Reform Program at the Stimson Center, said the challenges U.S. forces may face goes beyond securing land or items. It centers on how Iran chooses to fight once American soldiers are on its ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Iranians are going to do whatever they can to kill and capture as many Americans as they can,\u201d said Grazier, who is also a Marine Corps veteran, \u201cfor the propaganda victory alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than seeking decisive engagement, Iranian forces would likely avoid conventional confrontation and stretch the conflict over time, he said. Instead of defeating U.S. forces, he added, Iran\u2019s objective becomes making the conflict costly and prolonged, forcing leaders in Washington to decide whether the fight is worth continuing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any sustained ground operation would also risk widening the battlefield, as Iran could activate proxy groups across the region to further target U.S. forces and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Center for Strategic and International Studies in early March estimated that the first 100 hours of the war cost billions of dollars<\/a>, and experts warn that critical air defense interceptors could be depleted faster than the rate of replacement<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The human cost has also risen as the war enters its second month. Thirteen American service members had been killed and over 300 injured as of late March. A survey<\/a> earlier in March found that a majority of Americans thought the war had gone too far, and a separate poll showed diminished confidence in the president\u2019s handling of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Iranians don\u2019t stand any chance of defeating the United States on the ground, I don\u2019t think,\u201d Grazier said. \u201cThey do stand a chance of defeating the United States politically back home.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Military analysts point to several possibilities of what ground operations could entail, including coastal assaults and nuclear site 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