Fact Check: Were US Marines captured on Iranian island of Kharg during failed landing attempt?
WASHINGTON, DC: Since the start of the US-Iran war on February 28, the US has conducted over 10,000 strikes, destroying or damaging hundreds of Iranian naval vessels, numerous ballistic missile launchers, air defenses, weapon production sites, and IRGC infrastructure.
Amid the ongoing conflict, a clip went viral on the social media platform X claiming that several US Marines were captured on the Iranian island of Kharg during a failed landing attempt. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.
Claim: US Marines captured on Iranian island of Kharg
On Friday, March 27, an X user shared a clip, which was later deleted, showing an Arabic-language news-style segment, likely from a pro-Iranian or Arabic media source, featuring a man with a heavily blurred face, sitting in a dimly lit room and speaking directly to the camera.
A large Arabic news ticker at the bottom translated to, "The initial moments of the capture of a group of elite US soldiers and officers by the Iranian army on the oil-rich Kharg Island.”
The voiceover further said in the clip, "The Iranian Revolutionary Guards were very alert. They sensed our presence a few minutes before our forces landed and spread throughout the island in an organized manner, as if they knew every step we took."
The 2-minute-long clip ended with the man with the blurred face making a final hand gesture.
Fact Check: False, the claim is Iranian propaganda
The claim made in the viral clip that several US Marines were captured on the Iranian island of Kharg during a failed landing attempt is false, as it appears to be Iranian propaganda circulating on social media.
There is no credible evidence from the US, Iranian, or independent sources confirming any US ground landing, amphibious assault, or capture of American personnel on Kharg Island.
Notably, Kharg Island remains under Iranian control, and Iran has been actively fortifying it with mines, additional troops, air defenses, including MANPADS, and traps in anticipation of a possible future US move.
Interestingly, the US has deployed thousands of Marines from two Marine Expeditionary Units, and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division to the region. This led to speculation in major media that the Trump administration is considering a potential ground operation to seize Kharg Island as leverage to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, no such landing has been ordered or executed.
Furthermore, no US military operation involving a "failed landing attempt" by Marines has occurred, and the CENTCOM and the Pentagon have not reported any losses of personnel in such an incident.
