US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island – follow live

US embassy in Baghdad hit by strike as Trump says military targets ‘obliterated’ on Iran’s key oil island – follow live

Potential troop actions suggests Washington is weighing its choicesrevealed at 05:28 GMT

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent

A map of Iran showing the locations of major oil and gas facilities. Black squares mark oil refineries, including one near Tehran. Blue circles mark oil terminals along Iran’s southern coastline on the Gulf, with a label identifying Kharg Island as Iran’s largest oil terminal. Neighbouring countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE are shown west of Iran, with the Caspian Sea to the north. A small inset map highlights Iran’s position on a world map.

It’s being extensively reported in US media that the American military is sending further forces to the Gulf, together with what’s recognized as an amphibious prepared group (ARG), with as much as 5,000 Marines and sailors.

The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli will be part of the substantial armada already working off the coast of Iran.

It’s not clear which different vessels will accompany the Tripoli, however an ARG usually contains ships able to carrying touchdown craft, as properly as massive numbers of helicopters.

The newest deployments recommend the Pentagon is contemplating an expanded vary of choices. These may embrace defending business delivery in the Strait of Hormuz and conceivably some type of restricted amphibious touchdown.

One attainable goal is Iran’s tiny Kharg Island, in the northern Gulf.

Lying 22 miles off the Iranian mainland, Kharg is an important oil hub, the place tankers have been seen filling up with Iranian oil because the battle started two weeks in the past.

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