Iran is stepping up its defenses around its biggest oil port and launching a mass recruitment drive as it prepares for a potential ground war with the US.
The country is hardening defenses on Kharg island, boosting guided missile systems, laying mines along the coastline and booby-trapping facilities, an Iranian official said.
Military analysts say Iran has around one million active and reserve troops, including 190,000 motivated fighters from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The regime has signaled its defense will also involve spreading pain around the region to dramatically raise the price of any attack.
Tehran has threatened to hit vital infrastructure like power plants and desalination facilities, and has told its neighbors it would expand its targets to offshore oil platforms if its islands are invaded.
The US has ordered thousands of Marines and Airborne troops to the Middle East, but President Trump has not said he plans to put boots on the ground.
Analysts say Iran is gearing up for a fierce fight that could give it the chance to inflict more casualties than it can against the US and Israel's dominant air forces.
The country is also mobilizing its population in ways that seek to harness the spirit of the 1980s war with Iraq, including drives to recruit millions of Iranians, including children.
