U.S. Marines could play a central role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz by seizing key islands along Iran's southern coast, placing U.S. forces in position to directly counter threats to commercial shipping, according to former and current U.S. officials.
The concept centers on using Marines as a mobile force to take and hold strategically located islands that Iran uses to launch attacks, store missiles, and stage fast-boat operations, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
From those positions, Marines could interdict Iranian vessels, target missile systems and provide protection for ships moving through the narrow waterway, which carries about one-fifth of global oil supplies, officials said.
The Pentagon has already deployed the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a 2,200-strong rapid-response force embarked on the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, to the region. Such units are designed for amphibious assaults and can launch coordinated operations by sea and air.
Military planners see island seizures as a way to directly disrupt Iran's ability to choke off the strait without requiring U.S. troops to enter mainland Iran.
Potential targets include Qeshm Island, which sits at the mouth of the strait and hosts Iranian naval forces and missile systems, as well as Hormuz and Kish islands, which offer positions close to key shipping lanes.
Securing territory on or near the waterway would allow U.S. forces to operate inside Iran's defensive perimeter, where Tehran relies on a mix of fast-attack boats, sea mines, and shore-based missiles to deny access to foreign vessels.
Another option is Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub. Rather than destroying its infrastructure, some officials said Marines could seize the island and use it as leverage to pressure Tehran into reopening the strait.
"Kharg Island, 90% of their oil comes through there. So you've got really two choices," retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, a former commander of U.S. Central Command, told The Wall Street Journal.
"You can destroy the oil infrastructure, which would give irrevocable damage to the Iranian economy and the global economy, or you could seize it to use as a bargaining chip, which doesn't then permanently degrade the world economy," he said.
Operations could be carried out by launching Marines from ships in landing craft or inserting them by air using helicopters and F-35B jets capable of operating without traditional runways.
Retired Vice Adm. John Miller, a former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central, said positioning Marines on islands could give U.S. forces a tactical advantage over Iranian units targeting shipping.
"I don't see them in Iran proper," Miller said. "I think if you're going to put them anywhere, the place where it would be on some of the islands that are around Iran, in the Gulf, that might give you some advantage from a tactical sense for a period of time."
Analysts say such a move could create a buffer zone that reduces Iran's ability to threaten vessels and helps restore safe passage through the strait, even as U.S. airstrikes continue targeting missile and drone infrastructure along the Iranian coast.
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