The White House warns that the US is capable of destroying Iran's Kharg Island at will.

The White House asserted on Friday that the United States has the capability to neutralize Iran's Kharg island at will, in response to a report suggesting the Trump administration is contemplating plans to occupy or blockade the strategic oil hub.

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This revelation comes after Axios reported that President Donald Trump is considering an operation against Kharg to coerce the Islamic republic into reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane that Tehran has largely blocked.

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In a related development, the United States is deploying additional Marines to the Middle East, according to US media reports, potentially indicating an imminent ground operation nearly three weeks into the US-Israeli campaign.

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White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly stated that the US military can neutralize Kharg Island at any moment if President Trump gives the order, highlighting the administration's preparedness for any potential action by the Iranian regime.

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Kelly also noted that the administration has undergone a detailed planning process, enabling it to be fully prepared for any possible action taken by the Iranian regime, which President Trump anticipated would attempt to disrupt the free flow of energy and navigation.

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President Trump had previously taken action to destroy over 40 minelaying vessels, and the effective Iranian blockade has crippled commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, contributing to the surge in global oil prices since the start of the war on February 28.

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President Trump declared that the United States had "totally obliterated" all military targets on Kharg in strikes on Friday, warning that further action would be taken against the island's infrastructure if Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.

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On Thursday, President Trump referred to Kharg, which handles almost all of Iran's crude exports, as the "little oil island that sits there, so totally unprotected," and claimed that US strikes had "taken out everything but the pipes."