As Hormuz Burns, US Marines Move Toward the Front
Imagine a narrow water route — just 33 kilometres wide at its tightest point — and picture one-fifth of the entire world's oil passing through it every single day. Tankers carrying fuel for your car, gas for your kitchen, energy for factories — all moving through this one bottleneck. Now imagine that route is nearly shut down. That is exactly what is happening today at the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States is rushing thousands of its most powerful soldiers and weapons to fix it.
The Pentagon — America's defence headquarters — has sent over 2,000 US Marines from San Diego on a warship called USS Boxer, heading straight towards the Middle East. At the same time, another group of 2,200 Marines aboard USS Tripoli is being moved from Okinawa, Japan, to the same region. These are not just ordinary soldiers on ships. Each group carries stealth fighter jets, heavy artillery guns, helicopter gunships, mobile rocket launchers, anti-ship missiles, and special systems to detect and destroy drones. Think of it like a floating army base — ready to fight the moment it arrives.
Why is all this happening? Because Iran has been attacking cargo ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz using drones and missiles. As a result, ship traffic through this crucial route has crashed by 95%. Thousands of cargo vessels are stuck, unable to move. The world's oil supply chain is bleeding. And President Donald Trump is furious.
For the past three weeks, American fighter jets and naval forces have been hammering Iran's missile storage sites, naval bases, and drone launch points. The US military claims it has already destroyed Iran's entire surface fleet of warships, all 11 of its submarines, and 44 boats used for laying sea mines — the kind of explosive devices hidden underwater that can blow up passing ships. That sounds impressive, but the problem is far from over.
Iran's elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC, still has an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 small, fast-attack speedboats. Most of them are hidden deep inside underground tunnels and bunkers along Iran's southern coastline — places that are very difficult to bomb from the air. These small boats can quietly slip out at night, drop mines into the water, and disappear before anyone can stop them. American air attacks, including low-flying jets and Apache attack helicopters firing at these boats, have not been enough to fully stop this threat.
So now the Marines are being brought in for a different kind of mission. Some of them may be placed directly on commercial oil tankers to protect those ships — shooting down drones, jamming signals so drones lose direction, and defending the vessel from speedboat attacks. That idea alone tells you how serious the situation has become.
But there is a bigger and far more dangerous plan being discussed inside the White House — capturing Kharg Island. This small island, just 8 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide, with a population of about 20,000 to 30,000 people, is Iran's main oil export point. If America takes control of it, Iran loses its biggest source of oil income. Last week, the US already carried out precision airstrikes on more than 90 military targets on the island, including its air defence systems, naval base, and mine-storage facilities.
However, military experts are warning that actually landing Marines on Kharg Island is a completely different — and far riskier — story. The island sits only 25 kilometres from Iran's mainland coast. That means Iranian missiles, drones, and speedboats can reach it within minutes of any US landing. The warships carrying the Marines would themselves be exposed to Iranian anti-ship missiles the moment they enter the area. As one former US defence official bluntly put it — even one missile getting through could cause catastrophic damage.
Protecting Marines on the island would require American fighter jets flying non-stop, day and night, continuously striking Iranian launch sites to prevent counterattacks. It would be an exhausting, costly, and never-ending operation.
The human cost is already visible. So far, 13 American soldiers and airmen have been killed, and more than 200 others have been wounded — most with serious head injuries caused by powerful blasts from Iran's counterattacks in nearby countries.
And what does the American public think? A recent survey found that around 65% of Americans believe Trump might send ground troops into Iran — but only 7% actually support that idea. In other words, most people sense where this is heading, but almost nobody wants a full ground war.
Trump called Iran's option of mining the Strait "a form of suicide" since it would also block Iran's own oil exports. He criticised NATO allies as "cowards" for not helping, then turned around and said America does not need anyone.
The Strait of Hormuz is 33 kilometres wide. The decision America makes next could shake the entire world.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
