Iran is strengthening security on Kharg Island, a major oil processing and export center, according to US media. Iran is strengthening security at a time when there is debate in US security circles about the seizure of the island. Earlier, a senior Iranian official said that he had received a secret report that ‘Iran’s enemies’ were planning to attack Kharg Island. The official claimed that they had planned this with the help of a West Asian country. Iranian Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned of a strong counterattack if there is an attempt to seize Iranian territory. ‘Iranian forces are observing the activities of the enemies. If they take any action, we will continue to attack important infrastructure in West Asia,’ Ghalibaf wrote on social media on Thursday. Iran's oil exports to the world market (approximately 90-95 percent) pass through the Kharg Island export terminal. The United States is preparing to deploy ground troops in West Asia in recent days, various media outlets have reported, citing US government officials.

On Tuesday, retired US Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg said that it is necessary to mobilize US ground forces to capture Kharg Island and secure the Strait of Hormuz. He made this statement on Fox News' Fox and Friends.

He was US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine until January. In view of the possible situation, Iran has sent additional portable missile systems to Kharg and is trying to place underwater bombs around the island, CNN reported, citing US military sources. ‘Iran is also laying ambushes around the island,’ the source told CNN. Various reports have suggested that the US could seize the island in order to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The US is currently preparing to deploy about 3,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to Middle East. These highly trained soldiers can parachute onto the ground and fight at high speed.

CNN military analyst retired Admiral James Stavridis has warned that sending troops to Iran would be a huge risk. ‘The Iranians are ruthless and cruel,’ he told CNN. ‘They will do anything to harm American soldiers.’ The US had previously carried out airstrikes on military facilities in Kharg. However, the energy

infrastructure here was not attacked .

Iran has suffered heavy losses in the war that has been going on since February 28  . In response, Iran is also carrying out counterattacks on various infrastructures in Israel and West Asia 

According to Reuters, before the war, about 4.5% of global oil was exported from Iran. About 90-95% of this is processed in Kharg.

That is why it is also called Iran's lifeline. Due to US sanctions, many countries have stopped buying oil from Iran in recent years. China, on the other hand, has been increasing its dependence on Iranian oil.

A strong Iranian military presence on the island is necessary to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime route through which about 20% of the world's oil flows. That is why Iran has invested heavily in military infrastructure here.