【U.S. Media: Pentagon Considers Deploying 3,000 Paratroopers to Support Operations Against Iran】According to a report by The New York Times on the 23rd, the Pentagon is considering drawing a combat brigade of approximately 3,000 personnel from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to support military operations against Iran, which may be used to seize Kharg Island, Iran's critical oil export hub.

Pentagon officials stated that these troops would come from the "Immediate Response Force" under the 82nd Airborne Division, possessing the capability to deploy to any location globally within 18 hours.

According to the report citing U.S. officials, the U.S. military is also considering an alternative plan to seize Kharg Island, with approximately 2,500 personnel from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit en route to the Middle East launching the assault. Following the initial attack on the island, the combat brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division could be used for replacement and rotation.

The report stated that the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command have not issued any orders regarding the island seizure.

According to reports from ABC and other U.S. media outlets on the 20th, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, including 3 naval ships with the USS Boxer amphibious assault carrier and approximately 2,200 Marine personnel, has departed San Diego, California, with an estimated arrival in the Middle East taking at least three weeks. Days earlier, the Pentagon had already deployed the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship from Japan to transport the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East, expected to arrive later this week.

Kharg Island is located in the northwestern Persian Gulf, approximately 25 kilometers off the Iranian coast, measuring about 6 kilometers in length and 3 kilometers in width. It is Iran's largest crude oil export base, with 90% of Iran's crude oil exported from here. U.S. forces conducted strikes against military targets on the island on the 13th.