Widespread American escalation in southern Iran: Raids target bridges and airports, fears of a ground operation

The past hours have witnessed an unprecedented American military escalation targeting the Iranian interior, as US forces focused their raids on vital infrastructure in the southern regions. The attacks included the destruction of Iranshahr Airport in the southeast, in addition to bombing three strategic bridges in Hormozgan province, which represents the main artery for navigation in the region.

Hormozgan province gains extreme geopolitical importance as it directly overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and controls its waterways. It also includes the city of Bandar Abbas, which is a heavy economic and military center. Observers believe that severing this province aims to isolate it geographically and facilitate its control in the event of a decision to take direct military action.

Sources reported that the bombing also targeted the vital railway line connecting the cities of Bandar Abbas and Shiraz, which is the route the Iranian army relies on to secure logistical support and transport troops. This systematic targeting of supply lines indicates Washington's desire to cripple the movement of Iranian forces and prevent them from strengthening their defenses in coastal areas.

Raids were not limited to Hormozgan, but also extended to include the provinces of Shiraz, Kerman, Sistan, and Baluchestan, which are areas that form a security and logistical cordon around the Strait of Hormuz. This expansion in the targeting circle reinforces the hypothesis that the United States seeks to secure the operational environment before moving to a more dangerous phase of confrontation.

In Washington, informed sources revealed that President Donald Trump's administration has two options on the table for dealing with Tehran in the next phase. The first option involves intensifying air strikes to include sovereign targets in the capital Tehran, while the second option focuses on carrying out a wide-ranging ground operation aimed at full control of the Iranian coasts overlooking the Gulf.

Reports from the White House indicate that President Trump is leaning towards the option of ground control despite the high risks associated with this approach. However, there is a state of concern within American military circles regarding guarantees of success in light of the geographical complexities and defensive capabilities that Tehran possesses in that rugged region.

For their part, military experts warned that any American ground adventure could face fierce resistance from the Revolutionary Guard forces, which have about 190,000 elements specially trained in guerrilla warfare and coastal confrontations. These experts believe that the US Army may find itself in a long-term war of attrition if it decides to engage in a direct confrontation on Iranian soil.

The US administration is considering the option of carrying out a ground operation to control the Iranian coasts, amid warnings about the combat capabilities of the Revolutionary Guard.