While the president said on Tuesday he would extend his ceasefire with Iran, the US military has been pressing on with deployments to the Middle East that significantly expand its capabilities.

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Retired General Joseph Votel, who oversaw American military operations in the Middle East as the head of US Central Command, said the additional forces were designed to “send a message” to Iran and “make sure that [Trump] has the most flexibility in terms of options”.

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Votel said the forces could also do “very limited-duration, limited-scope operations into Iran”, such as on the southern coast to support an operation related to the Strait of Hormuz.

The MEUs and 82nd Airborne can all put boots on the ground quickly — the MEUs from the sea, and the 82nd Airborne from the air.

But such an incursion would come with considerable risk. “As soon as it’s known that there are troops on the ground, they become a great big target,” said Votel. “Protecting ground forces would become the top priority for the military.”

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The 82nd Airborne troops would, by contrast, stage from an air base within a couple of hours’ flight from the target location. They would fly on C-17 or C-130 transport aircraft, jump from the planes and parachute into the drop zone. They would also drop their vehicles and artillery, he added. “Most of what they would need would drop with them,” Votel said.

The US has used the 82nd Airborne in operations including the invasion of Panama in 1989 and for the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The US sent a headquarters element to Nato’s eastern flank after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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The 82nd Airborne paratroopers would jump with one to two days of supplies, such as meals and ammunition, so they would need a means to be replenished. There would also need to be plans to evacuate casualties and for a quick-reaction force to reinforce the ground troops should they “get in trouble”, Votel added.

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Read the full article in the Financial Times.

The post Trump Bolsters Gulf Force appeared first on JINSA.

Brian Kilmeade and JINSA President & CEO Michael Makovsky, PhD discuss the looming deadline for the Israel-U.S.-Iran ceasefire and why the IRGC may have taken over negotiations.

The post Iran’s Commitments are Meaningless: JINSA President and CEO Michael Makovsky on the Brian Kilmeade Show appeared first on JINSA.

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“The message is out that most ships are not wanting to go out there,” Kevin Donegan, a retired vice admiral and former top Navy commander in the Middle East, said in an interview on Monday.

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Read the full article in the New York Times.

The post U.S. Has Turned Back 27 Ships Since Strait of Hormuz Blockade Started appeared first on JINSA.

A United States Navy destroyer intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, firing into its engine room after repeated warnings. Following a six-hour standoff, U.S. Marines then repelled from helicopters onto the ship taking custody of the vessel. President Donald Trump issued Tehran a stern warning, still threatening to ‘take out their bridges and power plants’ if ongoing peace talks fail, as Iran’s new and aggressive hardline IRGC leader consolidates his military control.

Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, JINSA Iran Policy Project Advisor and former U.S. Central Command Deputy Commander, spoke to Fox News in an April 20 interview to break down the unfolding situation.

The vice admiral stated that America will need to continue to apply this kind of pressure on Iran in order to leverage it in negotiations. And, according to Vice Admiral (ret.) Harward, there is a good chance the Trump administration will do so. He stated that while he believes President Trump “was hopeful we could bring this to a conclusion earlier,” the president is nonetheless “willing to stay to the bitter end to see this through, and that’s what all our Gulf Arab partners are looking for as well.”

The post U.S. Navy Seizes Iranian Tanker, More Talks In Doubt: VADM (ret.) Harward on Fox News Radio appeared first on JINSA.

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“You can get a small channel in that area surveyed in days not weeks using Unmanned Underwater Vehicles,” said VADM (ret.) Kevin Donegan, a JINSA Generals & Admirals Program participant and former commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet based in the Gulf.

After clearing one lane, he said, “Traffic can then begin to flow in this smaller channel that could be widened over time.”

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Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.

The post The Navy Sends in the Robots to Clear Hormuz of Mines appeared first on JINSA.

But even after a U.S. bombing raid last June and more than five weeks of attacks on Iran since February, one suspected nuclear site remains untouched. Experts say the underground facility, known as Pickaxe Mountain, is buried so deep that it may lie beyond the reach of America’s most powerful bunker-buster bombs.

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“Pickaxe Mountain is deeper and bigger and more fortified than Fordo,” said Blaise Misztal, the vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, or JINSA, a Washington research organization. “That may be a place where they are planning to sprint to weapons-grade enrichment.”

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“If there isn’t some full cleansing of Iran’s nuclear program — I mean no enriched uranium, no facilities — I think it would be seen as a huge missed opportunity,” said Michael Makovsky, the president and chief executive of JINSA. Officials in the Trump administration, he added, are “very aware of this issue and they know it has to be addressed.”

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Read the full article in the New York Times.

The post Trump Is Urged to Act on Iranian Site Feared Impervious to Airstrikes appeared first on JINSA.

But the blockade, while already putting pressure on Tehran to continue with peace talks, is also likely to drive up U.S. energy prices if it remains in place beyond a few days. What’s more, it’s unclear how long Tehran will hold out and refuse to make painful concessions.

“It’s hard for it not to have an impact on them,” retired Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, a former commander of the Navy’s Fifth Fleet and JINSA Generals & Admirals Program participant — the naval arm responsible for operations across the Middle East — said of the blockade on Iran. “But remember, the Iranian regime cares less about the suffering that may be felt by their people. … Their ability to just say, ‘OK, we’re going to let this keep going, because we think we can outlast the Americans,’ is unknown for how long.”

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Read th full article in The Hill.

The post Strait of Hormuz Blockade Hurts Iran’s Economy, Threatens To Spike Energy Prices appeared first on JINSA.

Read the full article in JewishInsider.

The post Experts Welcome Rare Israel-Lebanon Talks but Caution on Hezbollah Disarmament appeared first on JINSA.

JINSA Iran Policy Project Advisor VADM (ret.) Robert Harward joined the Sean Hannity Show to discuss latest developments in the Gulf, and what the U.S. blockade on Iran means for the Islamic Republic’s economy, ability to project power, and internal strategy.

The post Epic Fury Endgame: VADM Robert Harward on the Sean Hannity Show appeared first on JINSA.

Vice Admiral (Ret) Kevin Donegan, former commander of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and a JINSA Generals & Admirals Program participant, breaks down the reality behind the headlines on the Cipher Brief: a U.S. blockade targeting Iran, uncertain shipping conditions, and rising tensions that could reshape global energy flows.

The post Explaining the Iran Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz: VADM Kevin Donegan on the Cipher Brief appeared first on JINSA.