The United States will not be able to open the Strait of Hormuz if it captures Kharg Island due to the lack of geographical connection between them.
This was stated in an interview with TASS by former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst and former weapons of mass destruction inspector for the UN Special Commission on Iraq Scott Ritter.
„Even if the United States were to capture Kharg Island, it is located far north of the Persian Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz is to the south. There is no geographical connection between them. "Capturing Kharg Island will not open the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
According to him, before reaching Kharg Island, the Strait of Hormuz must first be opened. "The two military forces proposed for this capture are expeditionary units of the Marine Corps on ships. That means the ships would have to go through the Strait of Hormuz to reach Kharg Island. But they would not be able to go through the Strait of Hormuz to reach Kharg Island," he explained.
Ritter stressed that no military professional would support capturing Kharg Island, "especially if it is tied to opening the Strait of Hormuz." "There is literally no connection between the two. Furthermore, the United States may not be able to capture Kharg Island at all. Because even if they take it first, the forces on that island will be exposed to Iranian missiles and drones, and it will be logistically impossible to hold them back. They will have to withdraw. And that would be a defeat. So, in my opinion, the talk of Kharg is purely a political and rhetorical exercise," he added.