The United States military is deploying three more warships and about 2,500 Marines to West Asia, where there is no end in sight to the war despite three weeks of US and Israeli air strikes that have decimated Iran’s military and leadership.
With the deployment, thousands of Marines and sailors are heading to the region, days after the US military redirected another group of amphibious assault ships carrying Marines from the Pacific.
One US official confirmed that the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships, along with about 2,500 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are bound for the Middle East from their home port of San Diego. Two other US officials confirmed the ships were deploying, without saying where they were headed. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.
Last week, US officials also confirmed that the Japan-based USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit were ordered to the Middle East, shifting them from exercises near Taiwan.
Earlier this week, the USS Tripoli and another amphibious assault ship, the USS New Orleans, were spotted sailing west of Malaysia in publicly available satellite imagery.
The two Marine Expeditionary Units will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region, where the United States is engaged in a war with Iran. The US military says it has about 50,000 troops in the region.
Asked about US President Donald Trump’s plans for the additional troops, and reports that the administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island, a White House official said that Trump has said he has “no plans” to send troops into Iran, but retains all options and does not broadcast his military strategy.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the US military could “take out Kharg Island at any time.”
Trump sharpens NATO attack
Meanwhile, Trump on Friday branded NATO allies "cowards" for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
The US President has recently veered between saying that Washington needs no help to secure the vital waterway for oil tankers, and then lashing out at other countries for failing to help.
"Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!" Trump posted on his Truth Social network.
"They didn't want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don't want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices.
"So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!"
The 79-year-old Republican, a long-term skeptic of the Western military alliance, has launched a series of diatribes against NATO in recent days.
On Thursday, six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, said they were ready to "contribute to appropriate efforts" to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
But they have not formally committed to any mission to work in the crucial waterway -- while other allies such as Germany and Italy have ruled out doing anything before a truce in the Middle East war.
None of the countries Trump has called on to help was consulted before the US-Israeli mission started.
An effective Iranian blockade has paralyzed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.
Global oil prices have spiked as a result of the war, which erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, leading Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the Gulf region.
(With inputs from AP and AFP)
