Washington:
Even though US President Donald Trump said he pushed back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, reports have indicated that the American military might be weighing sending ground forces to seize Iran’s strategic oil hub of Kharg Island. He told reporters that Iran asked him for a week to reach the terms of the truce. “I said, ‘I am going to give you 10’,” he said.
Trump claimed his generous gesture was in exchange for Iran’s gift of allowing passage to eight ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but some analysts believe it could also be a ruse to buy time to amass thousands of additional troops near Tehran. The Pentagon has already sent a batch of US troops to the Middle East this week and is even looking to send up to 10,000 additional ground soldiers to give Trump more military options, even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
With another Saturday approaching — Trump’s preferred day to launch strikes on Iran after the markets close for the week – experts have predicted that there’s a high possibility of the US putting boots on the ground.
What Could Be US Options
According to retired US Army Lt Col Daniel Davi, given the limited number of ground troops being deployed, there could be three possibilities that the US could theoretically execute. Talking to CNBC, he said the first possibility is seizing Qeshm Island, which sits “in the horseshoe bend of the Strait of Hormuz”.
Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf. Located near the vital Strait of Hormuz through which a fifth of oil shipments pass, the arrow-shaped island has emerged as a potential US target, with reports suggesting there are anti-ship missiles, mines, drones and attack craft being kept there in underground tunnels.
An attack on Kharg Island– which handles 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports– could be the second US option, Davis said. He, while a third scenario could be a raid to capture over 400 kilograms of uranium, which the US claims Iran has reprocessed, provided the US can locate it and it is sufficiently concentrated to make a raid viable.
“The overall idea is to deny Iran’s capabilities to use those islands,” Kevin Donegan, retired vice admiral and former commander of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, told CNBC.
The Pizza Meter
Amid Trump’s changing strategy, another unusual development near the Pentagon late Thursday night has caught attention. The highly unofficial, but usually accurate, Pentagon Pizza Watch signals that the US military might be planning something big.
Pizza activity around the Pentagon is experiencing an extreme spike this Thursday evening. Papa Johns Pizza (2.3 mi) at 296%, Domino’s Pizza (1.4 mi) at 208%, and Pizzato Pizza (2.2 mi) at 200%. DOUGHCON level is 3. pic.twitter.com/cLfnW6rq5T
— Pentagon Pizza Watch (@pizzintwatch) March 26, 2026
The website that tracks pizza deliveries around the Pentagon said the orders in the area were “experiencing an extreme spike” this Thursday evening. “Papa Johns Pizza (2.3 mi) at 296%, Domino’s Pizza (1.4 mi) at 208%, and Pizzato Pizza (2.2 mi) at 200%. DOUGHCON level is 3,” it said in a post on X.
Soviet intelligence operatives in the 1970s began monitoring late-night food delivery patterns, which usually signalled major escalations by the US military. Pizzerias reporting spikes in orders, especially at odd hours, suggested late-night work sessions at the Department of Defence ahead of possible military operations.
While the Pentagon Pizza Index is not exactly an official indicator, it has, in the past, been accurate in its observations, so much so that both US and Israeli officials took steps to guard against food orders sending any discernible signals.
