Trump officials have viewed Kharg Island capture as ‘endgame’ option - CNN

Plans for the US military to try to capture Iran’s Kharg Island have been drawn up for months but repeatedly shelved because the operation was considered too risky, CNN reported, citing a senior Pentagon official and two administration officials.

The view inside the White House and Pentagon is that taking Kharg Island, or wiping out the island’s energy infrastructure, would effectively bankrupt Iran and diminish its capabilities to the point that it could not continue in the war, CNN cited the administration officials as saying.

Officials have also told President Donald Trump that such an operation would likely require a significant number of ground troops and could potentially result in heavy US casualties, the report said.

Because of those calculations, the Pentagon and the White House have considered any move to take Kharg Island an “endgame” option — a last resort that could shift the balance of the war, but at a high cost, the officials said, according to the report.