Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
48 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Delta Force Prepares to Capture Iran's Kharg Island - 95% of Iranian Oil Goes Through (Original Post) orangecrush 4 hrs ago OP
They'll be sitting ducks on that island. RandySF 4 hrs ago #1
Nonsense. It does not pass the sniff test. drray23 4 hrs ago #2
Trump announced it Johnny2X2X 2 hrs ago #31
LOL Prairie Gates 4 hrs ago #3
We'll see. orangecrush 4 hrs ago #7
I think you guys answered your own questions. ABC123Easy 4 hrs ago #4
Kharg is far from Hormuz. JCMach1 4 hrs ago #6
I think orangecrush 4 hrs ago #9
That would makes sense except sarisataka 4 hrs ago #10
Turns out you are not that far off orangecrush 4 hrs ago #12
JFC!!! electric_blue68 4 hrs ago #5
My reaction exactly orangecrush 4 hrs ago #8
Ridiculous conjecture sarisataka 4 hrs ago #11
Check out post 12 orangecrush 3 hrs ago #13
Kharg Island is at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. sarisataka 3 hrs ago #15
He's not saying Marines are going to Kharg orangecrush 3 hrs ago #19
". It wouldn't be the first time Marines were put in position to be sacrifices" orangecrush 3 hrs ago #24
My mind went to Guadalcanal but this works too Arazi 57 min ago #43
... orangecrush 56 min ago #44
The bigger the font used in a YouTube video ad the higher probablility of bullshit. WarGamer 3 hrs ago #14
Cappy is far from bullshit. orangecrush 3 hrs ago #16
I don't trust ANY analysis with political spin. WarGamer 3 hrs ago #18
Thanks for the link orangecrush 3 hrs ago #20
EXCELLENT source! orangecrush 3 hrs ago #22
you're welcome! WarGamer 2 hrs ago #32
Outstanding reference orangecrush 2 hrs ago #33
But on Call of Duty, that's not a problem. haele 3 hrs ago #17
This sure as fuck ain't COD orangecrush 3 hrs ago #21
This is not a game. Dan 3 hrs ago #23
That seems to be the consensus orangecrush 3 hrs ago #26
With Israel as a partner, the long range goal in Iran wnylib 3 hrs ago #25
Boots on the ground in a place where they have been planning on this... Hugin 3 hrs ago #27
A USMC MEU is a very formidable force. However, the Iranians are likely dug in as well as the Imperial Japanese were artemisia1 2 hrs ago #28
The commentator did say orangecrush 2 hrs ago #29
Yes. I should clarify that I meant a full division in addition to 5,000 MEU members. Even that won't do it, imho. artemisia1 1 hr ago #35
Thanks orangecrush 1 hr ago #38
Kharg rso 2 hrs ago #30
They already attacked it. LeftInTX 2 hrs ago #34
... orangecrush 1 hr ago #37
I think he announced that he was gonna do it after it already happened. LeftInTX 1 hr ago #40
Very likely orangecrush 1 hr ago #41
I'm not an expert by any stretch but blue-wave 1 hr ago #36
95% of Iranian oil flies though the island because orangecrush 1 hr ago #39
OK, but if the strait is blue-wave 1 hr ago #42
The Iranians from what I'm seeing orangecrush 48 min ago #45
And this... orangecrush 46 min ago #46
And the MAGAts go wild! UTUSN 30 min ago #47
I don't think Kharg is the target for the US... WarGamer 19 min ago #48

drray23

(8,718 posts)
2. Nonsense. It does not pass the sniff test.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:03 PM
4 hrs ago

Why would we announce ahead of time we are sending our most elite operators to capture an island ?

Hey guys we are coming ! Please don't shoot us, just pretend you did not know..

The whole point of using operators like Delta force is covert ops. If you just want to take an island, you send the regular marines.

Johnny2X2X

(24,107 posts)
31. Trump announced it
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:50 PM
2 hrs ago

He doesn’t care if he kills some troops. He just wants to brag.

ABC123Easy

(245 posts)
4. I think you guys answered your own questions.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:09 PM
4 hrs ago

I'm guessing but 5000 marines can take and hold the island to open the straight.

Delta force to go in and steal the stockpile of uranium using the island as a base? There needs to be a way to get troops into Iran as well so......the island?

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
9. I think
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:16 PM
4 hrs ago

The island is not near the strait.

However, the video does discuss the possibility of ground troops on the Iranian side of the strait to open it up.



orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
12. Turns out you are not that far off
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:36 PM
4 hrs ago

Guess who it looks like is going to secure the Strait?

This is getting uglier by the hour.

?si=dQ1OjjV1bp6fFExf

sarisataka

(22,598 posts)
11. Ridiculous conjecture
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:22 PM
4 hrs ago

Delta Force is neither trained nor equipped to take and hold ground for an extended period.

It would be more within Delta's capability to sabotage to facilities, but it would be much easier and safer to do so via airstrikes.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
13. Check out post 12
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:48 PM
3 hrs ago

Marine Expeditionary Unit enroute.

Also the commentator leans conservative, but rips into Hegseth saying he has lost all faith in this administration.

Quite interesting as he is a former member of the Marine Expeditionary Unit.

sarisataka

(22,598 posts)
15. Kharg Island is at the northern end of the Persian Gulf.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:54 PM
3 hrs ago

And Amphib Group would have to pass the Strait and travel 300 miles through restricted waters to land on Kharg. Iran would throw everything they had at the ARG.

5k Marines is not enough to hold the coast around the Strait. AT best they could allow some traffic through for a few days, but would need massive reinforcement to keep control of the Strait

ETA> this administration might not care about those factors and do such attacks anyway. It wouldn't be the first time Marines were put in position to be sacrifices.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
19. He's not saying Marines are going to Kharg
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:02 PM
3 hrs ago


In the Strait, they would be opening the door for Airborne.

At least that's what I'm hearing.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
24. ". It wouldn't be the first time Marines were put in position to be sacrifices"
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:37 PM
3 hrs ago

"Soldier an' Sailor Too"

Rudyard Kipling

As I was spittin' into the Ditch aboard o' the Crocodile,
I seed a man on a man-o'-war got up in the Reg'lars' style.
'E was scrapin' the paint from off of 'er plates, an' I sez to 'im, "'Oo are you?"
Sez 'e, "I'm a Jolly—'Er Majesty's Jolly—soldier an' sailor too!"
Now 'is work begins by Gawd knows when, and 'is work is never through;
'E isn't one o' the reg'lar Line, nor 'e isn't one of the crew.
'E's a kind of a giddy harumfrodite—soldier an' sailor too!
2
An', after I met 'im all over the world, a-doin' all kinds of things,
Like landin' 'isself with a Gatlin' gun to talk to them 'eathen kings;
'E sleeps in an 'ammick instead of a cot, an' 'e drills with the deck on a slew,
An' 'e sweats like a Jolly—'Er Majesty's Jolly—soldier an' sailor too!
For there isn't a job on the top o' the earth the beggar don't know, nor do—
You can leave 'im at night on a bald man's 'ead, to paddle 'is own canoe—
'E's a sort of a bloomin' cosmopolouse—soldier an' sailor too.
3
We've fought 'em in trooper, we've fought 'em in dock, and drunk with 'em in betweens,
When they called us the seasick scull'ry-maids, an' we called 'em the Ass–Marines;
But, when we was down for a double fatigue, from Woolwich to Bernardmyo,
We sent for the Jollies—'Er Majesty's Jollies—soldier an' sailor too!
They think for 'emselves, an' they steal for 'emselves, and they never ask what's to do,
But they're camped an' fed an' they're up an' fed before our bugle's blew.
Ho! they ain't no limpin' procrastitutes—soldier an' sailor too.
4
You may say we are fond of an 'arness-cut, or 'ootin' in barrick-yards,
Or startin' a Board School mutiny along o' the Onion Guards; (1)
But once in a while we can finish in style for the ends of the earth to view,
The same as the Jollies—'Er Majesty's Jollies—soldier an' sailor too!
They come of our lot, they was brothers to us; they was beggars we'd met an' knew;
Yes, barrin' an inch in the chest an' the arm, they was doubles o' me an' you;
For they weren't no special chrysanthemums—soldier an' sailor too!
5
To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about,
Is nothing so bad when you've cover to 'and, an' leave an' likin' to shout;
But to stand an' be still to the Birken'ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew,
An' they done it, the Jollies—'Er Majesty's Jollies—soldier an' sailor too!
Their work was done when it 'adn't begun; they was younger nor me an' you;
Their choice it was plain between drownin' in 'eaps an' bein' mopped by the screw,
So they stood an' was still to the Birken'ead drill, (2) soldier an' sailor too!
6
We're most of us liars, we're 'arf of us thieves, an' the rest are as rank as can be,
But once in a while we can finish in style (which I 'ope it won't 'appen to me).
But it makes you think better o' you an' your friends, an' the work you may 'ave to do,
When you think o' the sinkin' Victorier's (3) Jollies—soldier an' sailor too!
Now there isn't no room for to say ye don't know—they 'ave proved it plain and true—
That whether it's Widow, or whether it's ship, Victorier's work is to do,
An' they done it, the Jollies—'Er Majesty's Jollies—soldier an' sailor too!


(1) Long ago, a battalion of the Guards was sent to Bermuda
as a punishment for riotous conduct in barracks.
(2) In 1852 the Birkenhead transport was sunk off Simon's Bay.
The Marines aboard her went down as drawn up on her deck.
(3) Admiral Tryon's flagship, sunk in a collision in 1893.


They always look good doing it.

Total respect

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
16. Cappy is far from bullshit.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:55 PM
3 hrs ago

Check out post #12 as well.

A Marine Expeditionary Unit is en route.

The commenter is a former member of that unit, and says he has lost all faith in this administration, despite his conservative leajings.

He rips Hegseth a new asshole.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
20. Thanks for the link
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:03 PM
3 hrs ago

And Cappy is not political.

Watch at least part of the vid before judging

WarGamer

(18,548 posts)
32. you're welcome!
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:51 PM
2 hrs ago

True study of war doesn't require mentioning the names Trump, Hegseth or Rubio... because while roots of war may be political the bombs, missiles, aircraft and bullets are not.

I read ISW every day re: Ukraine, they're top notch

haele

(15,340 posts)
17. But on Call of Duty, that's not a problem.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 07:56 PM
3 hrs ago

Don't even need cheat codes if you're good enough...

Dan

(5,109 posts)
23. This is not a game.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:36 PM
3 hrs ago

Trump and that idiot in charge of the DOD are stupid beyond belief.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
26. That seems to be the consensus
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:42 PM
3 hrs ago

.

Of anyone who knows their ass from a hole in the ground.

wnylib

(25,744 posts)
25. With Israel as a partner, the long range goal in Iran
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:41 PM
3 hrs ago

is almost certainly to dismantle all of Iran's nuclear capability. The Trump regime is not being transparent about this for a few reasons. One is security to protect operations. Another is to keep Iran from knowing exactly what US forces are doing and when.

I am not justifying the war or siding with Trump. I am only observing and drawing conclusions from what we see and what we know about the parties involved.

Israel has always felt threatened by Iran's nuclear developments. Iran has aided Israel's terrorist enemies. Iran had an active part in aiding Hamas against Israel. Israel wants Iran's regime destroyed along with Iran's nuclear developments.

Nobody in the world wants to see Iran develop a nuclear weapon, except Iran's leaders.

Trump has personal business interests in the Middle East. He cannot begin to make plans for his resort in Gaza until hostile terrorist elements are neutralized. So he joins Israel in a united attack on Iran. Trump might never see his resort since he is declining so much, but Jared will run the show anyway, so Trump is paving the way for Jared to proceed with what Trump believes will be his personal lasting legacy in the region.

Sending Marines is the first step in ground operations with the intent to dismantle Iran's nuclear facilities. That is the long range goal. That means that, although Hegseth sounds like an idiot spouting word salads because he IS an idiot, somebody with the ability to make plans and see them carried out is working behind the scenes. Hegseth is just too stupid to understand the big picture or just incapable of putting it into coherent words. That no doubt suits Trump and Netanyahu who want to proceed without informing their own people or the world what they are doing.

There is a plan. They just are not revealing it openly. My guess for who develops the plans and sees that they are carried out is someone in the Israeli defense department who coordinates with US military leaders.

If Israel and the US succeed in completely dismantling Iran's nuclear capabilities and its theocratic dictatorship, they will be viewed as world saviors despite how despicable Netanyahu and Trump are in other aspects of their lives. There is also reason for concern regarding HOW they proceed. Given who they are, I expect to see some war atrocities committed during the process of the war.




























Hugin

(37,810 posts)
27. Boots on the ground in a place where they have been planning on this...
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:42 PM
3 hrs ago

For forty years.

I am glad I am retired.

artemisia1

(1,825 posts)
28. A USMC MEU is a very formidable force. However, the Iranians are likely dug in as well as the Imperial Japanese were
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:42 PM
2 hrs ago

on Iwo Jima and, imho, anything less than a full division is far too little. Tier 1 units may go in first to soften up attack positions, but as pointed out, they are not equipped to hold ground.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
29. The commentator did say
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:46 PM
2 hrs ago

They might be used to go in to open the door for a larger force, among many other possibilities.

artemisia1

(1,825 posts)
35. Yes. I should clarify that I meant a full division in addition to 5,000 MEU members. Even that won't do it, imho.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 09:45 PM
1 hr ago

rso

(2,663 posts)
30. Kharg
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 08:49 PM
2 hrs ago

Our most effective direct-action commando force which is large enough and equipped-enough to hold Kharg for a limited time is the 75th. Ranger Regiment, the author of the video does not really know what he’s talking about.

blue-wave

(4,944 posts)
36. I'm not an expert by any stretch but
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 09:54 PM
1 hr ago

the island he talks about in the video is, depending on the route taken, 460-500 miles from the actual Strait of Hormuz. Doesn't make sense to me. If you want to open the strait you should somehow secure something closer.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
39. 95% of Iranian oil flies though the island because
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 10:05 PM
1 hr ago

Iran's coastal ports waters aren't deep enough for the supertankers.

By hitting the island you strangle the economy.

The Strait is a separate thing.

blue-wave

(4,944 posts)
42. OK, but if the strait is
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 10:10 PM
1 hr ago

shut down, nothing is moving through it. Therefore the revenue stream for Iran through Kharg Island is zero.

orangecrush

(30,012 posts)
45. The Iranians from what I'm seeing
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 10:53 PM
48 min ago

Are moving their own ships through.

Dont ask me how that's possible.

I'm certainly not an expert either


WarGamer

(18,548 posts)
48. I don't think Kharg is the target for the US...
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:23 PM
19 min ago

They'd have to bring forces past the strait... in reality they are probably bringing the USS Tripoli battle group is going to take JASK not KHARG.

Iran has spent over $200M in recent years for this very purpose, a second oil export port in case of war.

It's also a major military base and hub.

Take JASK and Iran exports no oil. Especially with Kharg shut down.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Delta Force Prepares to C...