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US Sending Boots To Iran… Trump Fake Out

Israel and Iran attacked each other on Saturday as the U.S. was sending thousands more Marines to the Middle East and President Donald Trump accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah as it steps up airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese militia in the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran since Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran ​on March 2.
More than 2,000 people have been killed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, while Americans appear increasingly concerned at signs the war could expand further as it enters its ​fourth week. Vital energy infrastructure in Iran and neighbouring Gulf states has been attacked, sending oil prices up 50% and threatening global economic shock. Israel said Saturday’s attacks on Iran included Tehran, Karaj west of the capital and the central city of Isfahan.  Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the U.S.-British military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, demonstrating the reach of its weaponry, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. The Wall Street Journal said two ​intermediate-range ballistic missiles were launched but did not hit the base. Natural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35% this week as Iran and Israel hit some of the region’s most important gas infrastructure. The EU urged ​members to lower gas-storage targets and start refilling reserves gradually to curb demand, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. The Strait of ‌Hormuz, conduit ⁠for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been effectively closed to most shipping. Trump on Friday called U.S. allies “cowards” for not helping open the strait.  Several allies, who were not consulted before the war, have pledged to join “appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through the strait, but Germany and France have said fighting must stop first. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would speak to Trump this weekend. Three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday that 2,500 Marines, along with the amphibious assault ship Boxer and accompanying warships, would deploy to the region, although they did not say what their role would ⁠be.
Sources reveal that possible targets could include Iran’s coast or Kharg Island oil export hub. Trump said on Thursday he was “not putting troops anywhere”, when asked about his plans, adding, “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t ​tell you.”
NN: Typical Trump, keeps them guessing. Two Marine ground  invasion assault ships are headed to Iran. And its not to buy pistachio nuts
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Pentagon said to prepare for ground troops in Iran

The United States Department of Defense is making “detailed” preparations for a possible deployment of American ground troops into Iran, CBS News reported on Friday, citing multiple sources familiar with the discussions. According to the report, senior military officials offered specific requests for the preparation of ground troops, with those plans involving the US Army’s Global Response Force and the Marine Corps’ Marine Expeditionary Unit. The report also echoed previous reports of about 2,200 Marines from the expeditionary unit being moved to the Midle East, along with three warships. “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality, it does not mean the President has made a decision, and as the President said in the Oval Office yesterday, he is not planning to send ground troops anywhere at this time,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

NN: There will be boots on the ground Lots of them. In about 3 weeks. They are on the way. 
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US said to send 2,500 more troops to Middle East

The United States is sending three warships and 2,200 to 2,500 additional troops to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. US officials familiar with the matter said the troops are Marines from the California-based USS Boxer amphibious ready group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the Iran operation will be completed “soon,” claiming that it is currently “ahead of schedule.” He also repeated that he does not plan to invade Iran. According to the US Central Command, around 50,000 troops are already in the region.

NN: Done deal, the US will be taking Kharg Island. Where Iran exports his oil from
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BAD DAY TO BE IN IRAN

A coalition of nations aimed at ensuring the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz grows as War Secretary Pete Hegseth details the ‘largest strike package of the war so far.’

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US could occupy Iran’s Kharg Island….Soon!

The Trump administration is considering plans for an occupation or blockade of Iran’s Kharg Island, Axios reported on Friday. The island is crucial to Iran’s energy trade, with up to 90% of the country’s energy exports passing through the island’s terminal. According to the report, the US aims to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for oil from the Persian Gulf. A source said that the US military needs “about a month to weaken the Iranians more with strikes” before a potential occupation of the island, as Kharg is within reach of the Iranian mainland, which would put US assets in danger. An unnamed US official said the administration is also considering sending more Marines to the Middle East, but has not made a decision on a possible coastal invasion.

NN: Kharg Island is Iran’s loading oil export port. Take this and you take their money away. Its a no brainer. And help is on the was as in the Marines.
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Iran Strikes Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery

Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by Iranian drones early on Friday in attacks that caused a fire in several units at the facility, as the war in the Middle East shows no signs of de-escalation despite the most recent U.S. and Israeli rhetoric.      The refinery, which is located 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Kuwait City and has the capacity to process 346,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, came under drone attacks in the early hours of Friday, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said in a statement carried by the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).   “The attacks resulted in a fire in several units within the refinery but caused no injuries, according to preliminary assessments,” KPC said.  Separately, Kuwait’s General Fire Force said its teams are dealing with a fire that broke out in one of the units at Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery following drone attacks.  In addition, the Kuwaiti Armed Forces confirmed that “it is currently responding to hostile missiles & drone threats, urging the public to adhere to safety & security instructions issued by the relevant authorities.” Friday’s attacks at Kuwait and its energy infrastructure follow previous strikes from Thursday on assets on Kuwaiti and Saudi energy infrastructure.  Meanwhile, Ali Mohammad Naini, spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in U.S.-Israeli air strikes at dawn on Friday, according to state media reports. The war continues despite assurances from Israel that it would not hit again Iran’s huge gas field South Pars. Israel was scolded by U.S. President Donald Trump for the decision to strike the gas infrastructure in Iran.

NN: They have now gotten to the point where they are blowing the crap out if each others oil assets.
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US F-35 jet said to be damaged after being hit by Iran

A United  States F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at one of the American air bases in the Middle East due to the damage sustained after allegedly being hit by an Iranian strike, CNN reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter. According to the report, US Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins stated that the jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when he was forced to land due to an “incident” that is under investigation. He noted that the stealth jet landed safely and that the pilot is “in stable condition.”

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Iran hit Israel’s Bazan oil refinery

An Iranian missile struck Israel’s Bazan oil refinery in Haifa, resulting in fires, local media reported on Thursday. The plant is Israel’s largest and most critical fuel facility, supplying about 50 to 60% of the country’s fuel. The incident, which triggered sirens throughout northern Israel, central Israel, and the Jerusalem region, resulted in no reported injuries, according to the Times of Israel. Rescue personnel were deployed to the locations of reported missile hits or falling fragments in the area, it further stated. The reported missile attack triggered power outages in the Krayot suburbs of Haifa. Iranian state television added that the Haifa oil refinery was targeted in retaliation for the strike on the South Pars gas field.

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Saudi Aramco, Exxon Yanbu Refinery Targeted as Red Sea Export Risks Rise

 

The Samref refinery in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastal city of Yanbu was the target of an aerial attack early on Thursday, with minimal impact on operations, an industry source told Reuters, as Iran is following through on its threats to target energy infrastructure across the Gulf. The Samref refinery, a joint venture of Saudi oil giant Aramco and U.S. supermajor ExxonMobil, has the capacity to process about 400,000 barrels per day of crude into gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, marine fuel oil, propane, and sulfur. A total of 35% of the production is gasoline, while heating oil and diesel account for 30% of the product slate. Aramco and Exxon have just agreed to expand the facility into an integrated petrochemical complex. The refinery with a vital location on the Red Sea is now apparently considered a legitimate target by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which issued on Thursday warnings of evacuation for oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar, including the Samref refinery. Brent Crude prices jumped early on Thursday as Iran escalated attacks against energy infrastructure in the region and threatened that more attacks would target the Gulf oil and gas producers. Aramco, for its part, has reportedly restarted operations at the Kingdom’s biggest refinery, Ras Tanura on the Gulf, which was shut as a precaution in the early days of the war following a drone strike in the area. Iran targeting the complex at Yanbu, however, could threaten the only route of Saudi crude out of the region. Yanbu is the only currently open export route for the Saudi Arab Light crude, as the Kingdom is scrambling to boost loadings from the port with the Strait of Hormuz de facto closed. The Saudis are expected to boost oil exports through Yanbu to a record high of 3.8 million barrels per day (bpd) this month. Of particular concern to these plans is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the Iran-aligned Houthis targeted vessels two years ago, but have been noticeably absent from the conflict so far.