U.S. Is About To UNLEASH Something So BIG… It Will END Iran WAR

U.S. Is About To UNLEASH Something So BIG… It Will END Iran WAR

Iran’s military has been razed.

What’s left of  its leadership is in complete disarray.

And while   the regime still tries to present a powerful  front, plans are being made deep inside the Pentagon.

The U.S.

is about to unleash something  so big that it will end the Iran war.

This is the Final Blow – powerful, precise, and designed  specifically to strip away every last piece of leverage that Iran’s regime has left.

We’ve  been seeing the buildup to this over the last few weeks.

On March 28, the 31st Marine Expeditionary  Unit, or MEU, accompanying the USS Tripoli and its small fleet of amphibious warships, finally  arrived in the Persian Gulf.

Soon, they will be joined by the prestigious 82nd Airborne Division,  along with another Marine Expeditionary Unit – the   11th, which has deployed to the Persian Gulf  by way of California.

This is a build-up of manpower that Iran never saw coming, and it  will soon mean that the U.S.

has around 5,000 Marines and around 3,000 paratroopers reportedly  joining the approximately 50,000 personnel that it has stationed in the Middle East.

The stage is  being set.

The Pentagon is preparing to deliver its final blow.

As we speak, the Pentagon is  simply waiting.

It has ƒplanned “weeks of ground operations,” The Independent reported on March 29,  and it’s believed by some that what the U.S.

has   coming could take a couple of months to execute.

There are rumors about what the Final Blow might include.

Raids by special forces troops are  being considered, as are attacks on key Iranian islands in the Strait of Hormuz conducted by fthe  MEUs and paratroopers we’ve already mentioned.

The Independent says that the Pentagon’s plans  stop short of a full-blown ground invasion of the Iranian mainland, and that’s indicated by  the relatively limited number of Marines and   paratroopers being sent to the Persian Gulf.

U.S.

President Donald Trump is also taking his time about making a decision, as he and his  administration hope that Iran will capitulate   before boots on the ground become necessary.

We see that in comments made by U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 27, as he said,  “We can achieve all of our objectives without   ground troops, but we are always going to  be prepared to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust to  contingencies, should they emerge.” How true that is remains to be seen as Iran tries to bed in  and weather the storm of Operation Epic Fury.

As for the U.S., this is a key juncture, and the  Trump administration is sending every message that it can to Iran that it’s willing to move Operation  Epic Fury into a new phase.

MEUs and paratroopers are en route or already arriving.

And there are  even more signs that the U.S.

is getting ready to launch the ground operation that it never thought  it would need.

One of those signs is that F-35Cs are being moved into position.

That’s according  to The War Zone, which reported on March 24 that land-based Marine Corps F-35Cs are moving to the  Persian Gulf region to provide support for the Marines who are arriving or already in the region.

Those fifth-generation fighter jets have been   moved to RAF Lakenheath in the U.K., which signals  that the U.S.

is getting ready for the first land-based deployment of its stealth fighter since  the launch of Operation Epic Fury.

F-35s have been used plenty of times before in this operation,  of course.

But up until this point, they’ve flown   from aircraft carriers to conduct the precise  strikes that often set up the aerial bombardment of other targets in mainland Iran.

This is  different.

What we’re seeing here is a buildup of F-35 airpower at a base that is well outside of  the range of even Iran’s best ballistic missiles, which tells us that the U.S.

is planning an  operation that requires repeated strikes by jets   that can return to a safe base in the immediate  aftermath.

This is the U.S.

bedding in for the multi-week or multi-month campaign that The  Independent mentions.

The wind-up before the Final Blow that could end everything is delivered right  to the regime’s jaw.

We see the build-up.

But the question still remains – what will that Final Blow  actually look like? The Pentagon is keeping its lips tightly sealed, as you would expect.

Secrecy  is paramount.

If the U.S.

tells us exactly what it intends to do, Iran’s military will have time  to respond and prepare.

However, there are plenty   of signals about what the Final Blow might look  like, and they start with a small patch of land that everybody expects the U.S.

to hit: Kharg  Island.

About a third of the size of Manhattan and located in the Persian Gulf just a few miles  away from the Iranian coast, Kharg Island is   everything to Iran’s regime.

It’s the jewel in the  regime’s crown, as it serves as a key oil hub that allows Iran to ship its oil to other nations,  thus keeping billions of dollars every year   pumping into the Iranian economy.

We’ll be coming  back to all of that soon, but the key here is that Kharg Island is the ultimate goal for the U.S.,  whether that means a straight takeover of the   island’s facilities or the use of that island as a  lever against Iran.

However, the U.S.

has a Kharg Island problem.

If it’s intending to land troops  on that island, it needs to find a way to get to   it first, and that isn’t the easiest proposition  in the world.

The reason is that Kharg Island lies beyond the Strait of Hormuz, inside the Persian  Gulf.

And adding to that problem is that there is no point, beyond the economic, of taking Kharg  Island if the U.S.

isn’t first able to gain control over that vital waterway.

So, it’s clear  that the final blow isn’t going to be as simple as land Marines and paratroopers on Kharg Island,  take the oil infrastructure, and call it a job   well done.

More setup work has to be done first,  and that work involves several other islands that the U.S.

may have to take with its ground forces  to set up what it has planned for Kharg.

Before   getting to that, there’s the reason the Strait of  Hormuz matters at all to consider.

The words, “The strait is the only maritime passage out of the  Gulf,” published by The Guardian on March 16, tell   you almost all that you need to know.

The Strait  of Hormuz is a vital passage for merchant ships carrying oil and liquefied natural gas to and from  countries in the Persian Gulf region.

Beyond Iran, which has control over the strait and its pair of  two-mile-wide shipping lanes, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar all rely on this single  waterway for their water-bound trade.

At just 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point, the  Strait of Hormuz is relatively easy to patrol for Iran, and it is a key point of leverage for Iran.

About 20% of the entire world’s supply of oil and liquified natural gas flows through this strait  every year, and Iran has been taking advantage of   that fact with a blockade using drones, anti-ship  missiles, and fast boats that make it practically impossible for merchant ships to sail through  the strait.

Iran knows that whoever controls the   Strait of Hormuz also controls the flow of money  in the Persian Gulf region.

The U.S.

knows it, too, and it also knows that Iran’s control over  the waterway puts its plans for Kharg Island in   jeopardy.

After all, any MEU that attempts to land  on Kharg Island first has to transit the strait, and that’s easier said than done, given Iran’s  asymmetric and often lethal blockade of the waterway.

Iran is taking advantage of its position  as best as it can.

According to CNN, one of Iran’s key demands for the end of Operation Epic Fury is  the recognition of Iran’s total sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

That would make the strait a  source of billions of dollars every year for Iran,   in addition to giving it even more leverage  over the other Gulf nations that rely on the waterway.

Even as we speak, Iran is charging  merchant ships massive tolls running as high as $2 million for safe passage through the Strait  of Hormuz, reinforcing its ability to control the strait.

For the U.S.

to deliver the Final  Blow to Kharg Island, something first has to be   done about Iran’s control over the Strait of  Hormuz.

And there just so happen to be other islands that are part of the equation that the  U.S.

may target before it makes its move on Kharg with its MEUs and paratroopers.

That alone changes  everything for Iran.

But before we dive deeper,   this is a quick reminder that you’re watching  The Military Show.

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Lying  within the Strait of Hormuz are several islands that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,  or IRGC, has militarized to extend Iran’s control over the whole region.

So, the starting point of  America’s Final Blow against Iran becomes very simple.

Take the IRGC’s militarized islands, and  you control the Strait of Hormuz.

And with that control comes the ability to halt Iran’s attacks  on merchant shipping, along with the ability   to send MEUs through the strait, deep into the  Persian Gulf, and on to Kharg Island.

Iran isn’t going to make it easy.

It has the fast attack  boats we mentioned earlier.

Iran has autonomous   vessels it can use to launch attacks, and it is  believed to be attempting to mine the Strait of Hormuz to make passage even more difficult.

But  the U.S.

has to get through the Strait to get to Kharg.

Here’s where things get serious.

Of the  islands that the U.S.

may look to take with its MEUs and paratroops is Larak.

An established  strategic outpost for Iran, Larak is home to bunkers, several Iranian attack craft or drones  that the regime can use to attack merchant ships, along with radar systems that Iran uses to monitor  movements within the Strait of Hormuz.

Some of Iran’s fast boats are also believed to be launched  from this island, so taking it is a priority for the U.S.

as it prepares to deliver its Final Blow.

More details about Larak come from Jfeed.

It says that Iran maintains a Russian-supplied satellite  communications jamming system on this island,   along with air defense systems, all of which are  protected by IRGC navy troops and the fast boats that we mentioned earlier.

Iran has militarized  the island to as much of a degree as it can   manage for a piece of land that is so small.

For  the U.S., the taking of Larak sets the stage for everything else that it wants to deliver with its  Final Blow to Iran.

It’s inaccurate to say that when Larak falls, Iran’s posture in the Strait of  Hormuz immediately crumbles.

But it would weaken severely.

Losing some radars means that Iran can’t  track merchant ships or U.S.

Navy vessels entering the strait that efficiently anymore, which limits  attacks on both.

And MEU that takes and holds this   island could also empty the bunkers, cripple  the fast boats, and turn what has so far been a key strategic asset for Iran’s Strait of Hormuz  blockade into one of the most important military nodes that the U.S.

can use to reopen that very  waterway.

But beyond all of that, the toppling of Larak serves another purpose: It paves the way for  the U.S.

to take other key islands in the Strait of Hormuz.

With Larak under control, the U.S.

can turn its attention toward another island, named Abu Musa, along with islands that include  Hormuz, Qeshm, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb.

Not one of these islands on its own presents an  insurmountable threat to the U.S.

and its plans   for Kharg Island.

But put them together, and you  get what has become known as Iran’s “arch defense” in the Strait of Hormuz.

Writing for the Canadian  Center of Science and Education, researchers Ma Yanzhe and Enayatollah Yazdani explained why  this arch of islands is so critical to Iran.

“A hypothetical curve connecting these islands  would further help to understand Iran’s strategic   superiority in controlling the security,” the  researchers explained, and they noted that Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are the keys  to Strait of Hormuz control.

That’s what the U.S.

would have to hit after Larak.

All three of these  islands sit in the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, and there just so happens to be a third party that  has an interest in them.

The United Arab Emirates   has long disputed Iran’s control over this trio  of islands, which sets up the possibility that the U.S.

could work out a deal with the UAE,  perhaps for some sort of joint operation.

UAE support could be provided in exchange for the  U.S.

handing control over Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb to the UAE, thus weakening  Iran’s position in the Strait of Hormuz while   strengthening the position of a U.S.

ally.

But  that would all be for the future.

In the context of the Final Blow that the Pentagon is preparing  to deliver to Iran, all of these islands in the   Strait of Hormuz are dominoes.

The U.S.

needs them  all to fall, and its MEUs and paratroopers may be heading in to take each out one by one to open  up a clear pathway through the Strait that leads right to Kharg Island.

So, we see the gist of what  the plan might be.

How does the U.S.

execute on it? The goal here is to get to Kharg Island.

For  the U.S., taking that island may not even be a   necessity.

If it can remove Iran’s influence from  the Strait of Hormuz by taking the other islands that we’ve discussed, the U.S.

might be able to  force Iran to the negotiating table.

After all,   losing the islands means losing control over the  Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S.

could create its own blockade to prevent oil from leaving Kharg Island  if it topples Iran’s “arch defense,” which could mean that the seizure of Kharg Island wouldn’t  even be needed.

The 90% of Iran’s oil exports,   and the billions of dollars in revenue that they  generate, could be controlled by the U.S.

Navy, preventing merchant ships from reaching Kharg  while allowing those that work with allies in the   Persian Gulf to transit.

Iran would have lost many  of its attack options with the arch defense gone, too, which, when combined with a U.S.

presence,  makes the strait much safer.

In short,   the U.S.

could restart the Strait of  Hormuz, leave Kharg Island untouched, and still bleed Iran dry of the money that it  needs to fund its defense against Operation Epic   Fury.

That would make the Final Blow a slap in  the face after the U.S.

delivers body blow after body blow by taking Iran’s smaller islands.

As  for how the U.S.

would pull it all off, we gave you a clue earlier in the video when we mentioned  how the U.S.

is stationing F-35s at an RAF base.

Air superiority has already been achieved in Iran,  including over the Strait of Hormuz.

That’s why   the U.S.

has been able to deploy A-10 Warthog  attack aircraft and Apache helicopters in the waterway.

Neither has much in the way of stealth  options, but they’re both on the attack against   Iran’s fast boats and drones because Iran can’t do  much about them.

Add F-35s into the mix, and you get an aerial force that could bombard the likes  of Larak and Abu Musa ahead of America’s MEUs and paratroopers landing and taking control over the  islands.

The arch defense would crumble under the   overwhelming airpower, and the ground forces  would go in to assert control, clear bunkers, and fortify the island ahead of the reopening of  the Strait of Hormuz and blockading Iran.

Kharg Island would fall through negotiation, not by  force.

That’s one option.

The other would have to be deployed if Iran digs its heels in and decides  not to capitulate, even as its stranglehold over   the Strait of Hormuz is released.

That’s when  the situation would escalate even further.

With its MEUs controlling the arch defense islands,  the U.S.

would likely send more troops into the   Middle East or call on the 50,000 soldiers it  has stationed in the region.

Their job would be to take Kharg Island by force, stripping away  what Trump has called the “crown jewel” of the   Iranian regime in the process.

This would ruin the  regime’s ability to get its hands on war funds, and the U.S.

has already laid the groundwork  for a ground invasion of Kharg.

On March 13,   the U.S.

unleashed a devastating series of  airstrikes that destroyed much of the military infrastructure on Kharg Island, including missile  storage bunkers, naval mine storage facilities,   air defenses, and an airport control tower.

The U.S.

left Kharg’s oil facilities untouched, and Iran is trying to prepare for a ground assault  against the island.

According to CNN, Iran has   been building up defenses again since March  13, having moved shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile systems to the island, along with laying  anti-armor and anti-personnel mines around Kharg’s   coast.

Those booby traps could be a major problem  for America’s amphibious landing crafts and their forces.

As for the air defenses, Iran may be  banking on weathering the storm of F-35 assaults   that those defenses aren’t designed to handle,  and would instead focus on attempting isolated strikes against A-10s and Apaches.

These aren’t  strong defenses.

But they do have the ability to cause casualties as the U.S.

takes Kharg Island.

That’s why the U.S.

would prefer the Final Blow   to lead to Iran’s capitulation of Kharg Island,  and perhaps even the end of Operation Epic Fury, rather than a ground assault on the island.

The  arch defense is key.

Cripple that, and the Strait   of Hormuz transforms from America’s problem to  Iran’s.

It would be a leverage turnaround, and the U.S.

hopes that Iran would be able to deal with  it.

As for Iran, it knows that the U.S.

is winding   up, even if it doesn’t know precisely what the  U.S.

plans to do.

We see that in its attempts to reinforce Kharg Island’s shattered defenses, and  the Speaker of the country’s parliament, Bagher   Ghalibaf, has outright declared that the regime  believes something is coming.

“Iran’s enemies, with the support of a country in the region, are  preparing an operation to occupy one of Iran’s   islands,” Ghalibaf has claimed.

Iran’s problem is  that it doesn’t actually know which island.

Kharg seems the most obvious choice, and the U.S.

could  still invade it via an ally in the Persian Gulf,   which would mean it bypasses the Strait of Hormuz  and the arch defense in the process.

But that doesn’t solve the problem of Iran’s leverage in  the waterway.

The approach that we’ve outlined in   this video could still in theory involve allies,  especially the UAE, due to its disputes with Iran over several of the arch defense islands.

And it  would set the stage for the Final Blow on Kharg to be delivered at the negotiating table or by  direct force.

Whichever option Iran chooses, it loses.

And that’s precisely the position in  which the U.S.

wants to put Iran.

There is a   lot more to know about America’s potential plans  for Kharg Island, and especially about the 82nd Airborne Division that it is sending Iran’s way.

We published a video covering how the U.S.

could   change the Strait of Hormuz forever with this  division, so check it out if you want to dive deeper into the Kharg Island challenge.

And if you enjoyed this video, make sure   you subscribe to The Military Show so you don’t  miss any of our analysis of Operation Epic Fury.