The Pentagon is accelerating the deployment of thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East as the war in Iran enters its third week, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Boxer, as well as up to two additional ships, will head toward the region to bolster existing American forces sooner than they were originally scheduled to leave their post in San Diego.
Roughly 2,200 Marines aboard the Boxer head to Iran less than a week after another unit of 5,000 Marines and sailors left for the region aboard the Japan-based USS Tripoli. If the two additional ships, the USS Portland and USS Comstock amphibious ships, are attached to the deployment, a total of about 4,000 additional service members would be heading to the Middle East.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from the U.S. Central Command to send the Tripoli in order to secure the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks.
Iran has taken strong military action in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. Iranian actions have disrupted maritime traffic and contributed to volatility in global energy markets, prompting the United States to consider measures to secure the waterway.
At the time of reporting, it was not clear what the Marines and sailors’ mission’s purpose is, but on Thursday, President Donald Trump pledged not to deploy U.S. troops on the ground in Iran and the surrounding region.
Despite the president’s promise, some have implied he may need to order a special operation to secure Iran’s enriched uranium.
At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed and approximately 200 wounded during the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
TRUMP PLEDGES NOT TO DEPLOY TROOPS TO IRAN
Hegesth previously confirmed that the Pentagon plans to request an additional $200 billion in funding for the war in Iran. The war secretary said the additional funds will ensure the department has proper resources for the task at hand.
“As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move, obviously. It takes money to kill bad guys,” he said. Also on Thursday, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands announced a joint effort to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian attacks on ships carrying everything from oil to fertilizer have stopped the flow of goods from the Persian Gulf.
