Will Trump invade Kharg Island?
Trump told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday that he wanted to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island.
Taking control of Kharg would require ground troops, which the US has rushed to the region in recent days. But most Americans are still opposed to the war and a new escalation, which would likely weigh on Trump’s already low approval ratings ahead of November midterm elections for Congress.
Officials have told Reuters the administration is weighing whether to send ground forces to the island.
Why launch a ground invasion?
The island handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports, and seizing it would give the United States the ability to disrupt Iran’s energy trade, placing enormous pressure on Tehran’s economy.
Trump would also hope that taking Kharg Island would force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide him with potential leverage in future negotiations, analysts say.
Iran’s Kharg Island, which hosts the country’s main crude export terminal and is responsible for the overwhelming majority of its oil shipments to the world (ESA/AFP/Getty)
Two contingents of Marines could arrive in the region around the end of the month, and sources say the Pentagon is planning to send thousands of airborne troops as well to give Trump more options if he were to order a ground assault.
A former commander of the U.S. Central Command, Joseph Votel, told TWZ.com last week that while only 800 to 1,000 troops would be needed on Kharg Island, they would require logistical backup that would need protection as well.
Tehran has already sent extra surface to air missiles to the island and has laid traps including anti-personnel and anti-armour mines in the waters surrounding it, CNN reported, citing people familiar with US intelligence.
US troops landing on the island would also be exposed to missile and drone attacks.
Tehran could opt to lay more mines to target shipping, including floating mines deployed from the coast, which would make the region even more hazardous for shipping, which has already been significantly disrupted by the conflict.
James Reynolds30 March 2026 13:30
What has Spain said about the Middle East crisis?
Spain has faced recurrent criticism from Donald Trump since his return to office last January over its low military spending relative to other Nato members.
Trump threatened to impose a full trade embargo on Spain on 3 March over its refusal to allow the US to use the jointly run bases at Morón and Rotafor to strike Iran.
Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, stood his ground, restating in a 10-minute speech his opposition to war and what he called the “breakdown of international law”.
He said: “The question is not if we are on the side of the ayatollahs – nobody is. The question is whether we are in favour of peace and international legality.”
Sánchez also warned that Iran could follow the path of the war in Iraq, which he said had failed to achieve its goals and made life worse for ordinary people.
France’s Emmanuel Macron and the EU’s António Costa expressed their solidarity with Spain’s decision.
On 30 March, Spain extended its airbase ban by closing its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran.
Defence minister Margarita Robles said: “We don’t authorise either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran.”
The closure will force military planes to go around Spain en route to their targets. It does not include emergency situations, reported Spanish outlet El País.
Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
James Reynolds30 March 2026 13:15
In pictures: Smoke rises over Beirut’s southern suburbs as Israeli strikes continue
Portraits of Hezbollah’s late leaders Hassan Nasrallah, right, and his cousin, Hashem Safieddine, are seen, as smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, on Monday (AP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh this morning (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
James Reynolds30 March 2026 13:00
British troops will not join any ground invasion of Iran, Starmer says
The US sparked fears over the weekend that it is preparing launch ground operations in Iran, as fighting between Tehran and Washington continues into its second month.
The prime minister has faced criticism from both allies and enemies over his approach to the conflict, but doubled down on his position on Monday when asked if British troops could be sent to the Middle East.
“This is not our war and we’re not going to get drawn into it,” he said, adding the UK will continue to take defensive action and work to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
Maira Butt30 March 2026 12:45
Watch: Israel expands invasion of southern LebanonIsrael expands invasion of southern Lebanon
James Reynolds30 March 2026 12:30
Recap: Trump says talks progressing as Israel widens invasion of Lebanon
Over the weekend, Donald Trump said that the US and Iran have been meeting directly and indirectly, appraising the new leaders of the country as being “very reasonable”.
With Iran’s top leadership decimated in four weeks of war, Trump said on Sunday he thought the US had already accomplished regime change in the country.
Pakistan, acting as an intermediary between the US and Iran, said it was preparing to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days aimed at ending the war.
An Israeli artillery unit fires towards Lebanon (Reuters)
US eyes possible Kharg invasion
Trump’s comments came even as more US troops arrived in the region, giving Trump the option of launching a ground offensive.
In an interview with Financial Times published on Sunday, Trump said he wanted to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. Taking control of Kharg would require ground troops.
Iran’s parliament speaker accused the US of trying to negotiate while also planning an invasion, and said Iran was ready to respond if needed.
Netanyahu greenlights wider invasion in Lebanon
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said meanwhile on Sunday that he had ordered the military to expand its operations in southern Lebanon, blaming Hezbollah rocket fire.
Israel said last week it was enlarging a ‘buffer zone’ up to the Litani River.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis joined the conflict on Saturday, launching their first attacks on Israel and raising the prospect they could target and thus block a second key shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Israeli authorities said on Sunday that they had intercepted two drones launched from Yemen.
Supreme leader still out of frame
Iran’s new supreme leader thanked the Iraqi people and religious leadership for their support of Iran, according to Iran’s state media. But it was unclear how the message was conveyed.
Mojtaba Khamenei still has not been seen since his appointment as the third supreme leader of Iran in early March.
James Reynolds30 March 2026 12:00
Madrid has closed its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran, a step beyond its previous denial of use of jointly-operated military bases, Spain’s defence minister said on Monday.
“We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” Margarita Robles told reporters in Madrid.
Spanish newspaper El Pais had first reported the news on Monday, citing military sources.
The closure of the airspace forces military planes to bypass NATO member Spain en route to their targets in the Middle East, but it does not include emergency situations, El Pais added.
Spain’s defence minister Margarita Robles (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
James Reynolds30 March 2026 11:37
Which key Iranian figures have been killed?
Strikes on Iran have killed several senior political and military figures, hitting the Islamic Republic’s core leadership.
– Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, killed in an airstrike on his compound on 28 February.
– Ali Larijani, secretary of the supreme national security council, killed in an air strike in the Paris area on 17 March.
– Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of the IRGC, killed in Tehran on 28 February.
– Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defence minister, killed in Tehran on 28 February.
– Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, killed in Tehran on 28 February.
– Esmail Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister, killed in a strike on 18 March.
– Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, leading the force central to internal security, killed in strikes on 17 March.
James Reynolds30 March 2026 11:30
US proposals to end war ‘unrealistic and illogical’ says Iran
Iran branded US proposals to end the war “unrealistic, illogical and excessive” on Monday, as US troops arrived in the region and Donald Trump threatened an island invasion.
Foreign ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had received messages from intermediaries expressing Washington’s willingness to negotiate, but said the proposals were asking too much.
Baghaei’s press conference came a day after the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey met in Islamabad for first talks aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
“Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves,” Baghaei said.
James Reynolds30 March 2026 11:19
Iran vows to set US troops on fire if Trump launches ground invasion
Iran says it is ready and waiting for US troops to launch a ground invasion and threatened to “set fire” to Donald Trump’s forces if they enter the Islamic Republic’s territory.
Speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran is “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire”, in a published message broadcast on Iranian state media, including the official IRNA news agency, on Sunday.
It follows reports over the weekend that the Pentagon is awaiting President Trump’s approval for ground operations in Iran, according to the Washington Post.
James Reynolds30 March 2026 11:00