Are both sides misleading us about what they intend to do? U.S. officials have been able to keep the financial markets calm by telling us that Iran is defeated and that the war will end soon, but meanwhile thousands of U.S. troops are being deployed to the Middle East and it appears that preparations are being made for a major ground operation. The Iranians have told us over and over again that they will never produce nuclear weapons, but now we have learned that the regime has come to the conclusion that “it has nothing to gain by holding back from building a bomb”. I am extremely concerned about where all of this is eventually heading if both sides just continue to escalate matters.

According to the Daily Mail, Republican members of Congress “stormed out of a classified briefing on Iran on Wednesday” because of what they were told during that meeting…

Furious Republicans stormed out of a classified briefing on Iran on Wednesday amid fears the US is preparing to invade the country as Tehran refuses Donald Trump’s peace overtures.

With almost 7,000 US ground forces deploying or en route to the Middle East – including from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and the Marines – speculation is swirling about Trump’s rapidly developing plans for the war.

Nancy Mace walked out early, venting that ‘we were misled,’ while pro-Trump committee chair Mike Rogers warned ‘we’re not getting answers’ as Pentagon chiefs briefed the House Armed Services Committee, sparking fireworks on Capitol Hill.

So why were they so angry?

Well, a lawmaker that was inside the room while the briefing was being held has revealed some absolutely stunning information…

Now, a Daily Mail source inside the room has revealed stark new details, including a new set of objectives which may suggest that America is moving toward boots on the ground as Iran continues to strangle the Strait of Hormuz.

The lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said members were presented with three military objectives: Kharg Island, Iran’s crucial oil export hub; its nuclear material; and regime change.

It marks a stark shift from the four goals the White House has publicly stated: destroying Iran’s missiles, navy, armed proxies, and nuclear capabilities.

Putting U.S. boots on the ground would be extremely controversial.

But apparently that will be part of the “final blow” that the U.S. military will deliver to Iran if negotiations do not go well…

The US is working on options for a “final blow” to Iran that could see American ground troops deployed on Iranian soil, as well as a major bombing effort, the Axios outlet reported Thursday, citing two US officials and two sources with knowledge of the matter.

There are several islands in the Persian Gulf that U.S. forces could be used to take from the Iranians, and Kharg Island is at the top of the list…

The first would entail seizing or blockading Kharg Island, Iran’s key hub for the export of oil.

A second would be to take Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which houses Iranian bases and radars that track ships transiting Hormuz, and hosts small boats that can attack civilian ships. Tehran has largely blocked the passage of oil through the vital strait in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, pushing up global energy prices.

A third possibility would be to invade Abu Musa Island in the eastern Persian Gulf, which gives Iran control over ships leaving the Gulf. The island — and the nearby Greater and Lesser Tunb islands — are held by Iran but claimed by the United Arab Emirates, a key US and Israeli ally.

Finally, the US could simply block or take control of ships exporting Iranian oil.

The hard part would be holding the island as Iranian missiles and drones came raining down day after day.

And if the U.S. wanted to invade the Iranian mainland itself, that would require a very large force, because the Iranians are claiming that they have mobilized over a million troops…

Iranian state media, meanwhile, claims more than one million troops have been mobilized in preparation for a US ground invasion to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The buildup comes amid growing threats from Trump to seize Kharg Island, a key oil hub that helps control the vital waterway.

Iran has begun reinforcing the island by laying traps such as anti-personnel and anti-armor mines along likely landing zones.

Approximately 93 million people live in Iran.

That is an enormous pool of manpower.

We are being told that there has been a “huge influx” of young Iranians that have volunteered to join the military in recent days…

In a report by the Tasnim news agency on Thursday, a “well-informed military source” said that more than a million people had organised to participate in the fighting, in addition to a “huge influx” over the past few days of requests by young Iranians to join the Revolutionary Guards.

In a separate report on Iran’s ISNA news agency, the commander of Iran’s ground forces Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi warned that “the ground war will be more dangerous and costly for the enemy”, adding that “all the enemy’s movements on the border are monitored, and we are ready for any scenario”.

Fully securing the Strait of Hormuz would likely require boots on the ground on the Iranian side of the waterway, but there is no way that the limited number of troops that we are deploying to the region could cope with a force that size.

So how do we plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

Do we plan to give the Iranians everything that they want?

There is no way that is going to happen.

So what is the plan?

Before this war ends, the Trump administration also wants to ensure that Iran will never be a nuclear threat.

In order to achieve that goal, U.S. officials are reportedly considering an operation to grab Iran’s enriched uranium…

American military chiefs are considering one of the biggest special forces raids ever-launched in a bid to cripple Iran’s nuclear programme.

The massive helicopter-borne insertion of thousands of assault troops supporting a large number of Delta Force specialists could take at least 24 hours to conduct.

It would try to seize 450kg of 60% enriched uranium believed still to be hidden deep beneath one of Tehran’s nuclear facilities and is an immensely high-risk operation.

Needless to say, this would be a very high risk operation.

But apparently a plan has already been drawn up…

Two British military sources have told the Mirror the operation plan has been drawn up, although both said it has been assessed as “very high-risk, with high probability of casualties and low probability of absolute mission success since the exact location of the uranium is uncertain.”

After fighting their way into the complex, the elite Delta Force soldiers would secure the site for specialist engineers to drill and blast their way into the underground complex.

The immensely complex operation would involve scores of spy planes and fighter jets helping to secure the approach to the mission targets.

If the Trump administration is going to actually do this, time is of the essence, because it is being reported that the regime in Iran has decided that “it has nothing to gain by holding back from building a bomb”…

Tehran’s leaders are now considering quitting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and scrapping their posturing on nuclear weapons altogether.

Sources told Reuters the relentless US-Israeli strikes have persuaded the regime it has nothing to gain by holding back from building a bomb.

That is extremely alarming news.

This war was supposed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but now they appear to be more motivated than ever to get their hands on nukes…

Hardline politician Mohammad Javad Larijani, brother of senior official Ali Larijani who was killed in a strike last Tuesday, was quoted by state media this week urging Iran to suspend its membership of the NPT.

‘The NPT should be suspended. We should form a committee to assess whether the NPT is of any use to us at all. If it proves useful, we will return to it. If not, they can keep ​it,’ he said.

Earlier in the month, state television aired a segment with conservative commentator Nasser Torabi in which he said the Iranian public demanded: ‘We need to act in order to ​build a nuclear weapon. Either we build it or we acquire it.’

Could North Korea provide nuclear weapons to Iran?

Could it be possible that this has already happened?

Let’s hope not.

And while the U.S. is trapped in a seemingly endless war in the Middle East, there is concern that the Chinese may see this as a perfect opportunity to “reunite” with Taiwan…

Xi sees Trump as unwilling to come to Taiwan’s defence, the people said — especially if America’s involvement in the Middle East, which has led the US to redirect major military assets away from Asia, continues to distract Washington. The meeting itself had been scheduled for April 1, but was pushed back to May 14-15 after Trump requested a delay because of the war in Iran.

Xi is working under the assumption that, while Washington still supports Taiwan, Trump’s attitude toward the island is so uncertain that he has an opening. Trump has accused Taiwan of stealing America’s chip industry and last year hit the island with high tariffs before reducing them – moves that panicked Taiwanese officials.

As long as Iran is blocking commercial traffic from getting through the Strait of Hormuz, we will continue to be trapped in this war.

The Iranians say that they are willing to end the war as long as we give them what they want, and that includes permanent control of the Strait.

That certainly isn’t going to happen.