Donald Trump has been warning Iran for the past 10 days that they have to make a deal to America’s liking or the U.S. would “unleash hell,” as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
This “final blow” against Iran would include U.S. ground, air, and sea forces. Trump will have at least four options, according to Axios.
- Invading or blockading Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub.
- Invading Larak, an island that helps Iran solidify its control of the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic outpost hosts Iranian bunkers, attack craft that can blow up cargo ships, and radars that monitor movements in the strait.
- Seizing the strategic island of Abu Musa and two smaller islands, which lie near the western entrance to the strait and are controlled by Iran but also claimed by the UAE.
- Blocking or seizing ships that are exporting Iranian oil on the eastern side of the Hormuz Strait.
The Shah occupied Abu Musa and the other islands that the UAE claimed in 1971, just before the UAE’s formation as a sovereign nation. Whether they would be returned to the Emiratis is unknown, but the UAE would have a very difficult time defending them against a hostile Iran.
Another option Trump might choose involving ground troops would be to send a small force to the Ishafan Tunnel Complex in central Iran. The majority of Iran’s 60% enriched uranium (estimated at over 200 KG) is believed to be stored within a deep underground tunnel complex at the Isfahan nuclear site.
Although the surface facilities at Isfahan were bombed in June 2025, the tunnels appear largely intact. Recent satellite imagery from early March 2026 showed a “very narrow access point” through which the material could potentially be retrieved, despite the entrances being buried under soil.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has indicated that another large portion of the stockpile remains at the Natanz enrichment plant. This may be uranium enriched to less than 20%. It is still a threat, but it would take several weeks to spin up to nuclear bomb-grade material if Iran were to rebuild its centrifuges.
Then again, the highly enriched uranium could be buried under hundreds of tons of rubble at Fordow’s nuclear facility. Fordow was built into the mountain and was totally destroyed in the June bombing.
Trump hasn’t made a decision yet on pursuing any of these scenarios, and White House officials describe any potential ground operations as “hypothetical.”
But sources say he’s ready to escalate if talks with Iran don’t yield tangible results soon.
Trump could first implement his threat to bomb power plants and energy facilities in Iran, for which Tehran has threatened massive retaliation across the Gulf.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned Iran on Wednesday that Trump is ready to strike “harder than ever before” if no deal can be reached.
“The President doesn’t bluff and he is ready to unleash hell. Iran shouldn’t miscalculate again… any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime… refuses to come to a deal,” Leavitt said.
More reinforcements, including several fighter jet squadrons and thousands of troops, are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days and weeks.
Iran is both stalling for time and trying to bait Trump into using ground troops. Iran has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz and attacked ships, setting three vessels afire. They have also established a “toll station” in the Strait and are only allowing certain vessels to transit.
It’s not at all clear if a large, powerful military strike will achieve anything substantial. Trump may reluctantly be satisfied with destroying most of Iran’s missiles, drones, Navy, and stockpile of nuclear material. Defanging Iran as a regional power, making it nearly impossible to support its weakening proxies, and setting the stage for an internal revolt may be the best the U.S. can achieve in this war.
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