During a recent call with reporters, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) addressed the possibility of President Donald Trump deploying ground forces to take Iran's main oil export terminal, Kharg Island. Positioned in the Persian Gulf, the small strip of land, measuring approximately 8 square miles, is responsible for processing and handling up to 90% of the country's crude oil exports.
"There are a lot of things behind the scenes that even us as senators, and me, even being on the Armed Services Committee and having classified clearance that we don't know about, but I like what [President Donald Trump] has done so far," said Tuberville.
"He has had 10 memorandums of understanding, and all 10 of them were broken the next day or so by the Iranians. They don't want peace. They care nothing about that. They hate Americans. They want to kill all of us. They want a nuclear weapon where they can just push one button and wipe us off the map. That was President Trump's number one goal, and it will be his goal in the future."
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According to the lawmaker, a ground invasion could be a viable alternative to "destroying" the island.
"Kharg Island is their port where they send all their oil. I think eventually, President Trump's either going to destroy it or take it over," contended Tuberville. "It is out on a body of water, and it's not on land next to Iran. So putting boots there would probably help in the long run if we don't want to completely destroy it."
"But again, let's leave that up to the president to see what he decides to do," he added.
Seventeen total American service members have died since the beginning of the conflict with Iran, with more than 430 members reportedly suffering injuries.
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