The Department of War is deploying the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship and its 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East as the war with Iran moves into its third week.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the U.S. Central Command request for a Marine amphibious ready group and the MEU, according to multiple reports. The deployment would send several warships and thousands of Marines and sailors to the Middle East as Iran targets the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported.