Trump Admin Reportedly Orders More Troops To Middle East Amid Iran War
The Trump administration has reportedly ordered more troops to be sent to the Middle East amid US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
As Iran increases the scale of its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon is moving a naval expeditionary unit to the region, three US officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, reportedly requested the creation of the expeditionary unit and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth approved it. Such a unit typically includes up to 5,000 Marines and several warships. (RELATED: ABC News left out crucial context in its article on the Iranian drone threat to California)
The Japan-based USS Tripoli and its attached Marines would have sailed to the region where Marines are already supporting Operation Epic Fury in the Middle East, officials told the WSJ.
The move comes as Iranian attacks on the strait have dramatically reduced traffic in the strategic waterway, disrupting the global economy, driving up gas prices and posing a major military and political challenge to President Donald Trump.
Hegseth evaded a journalist’s question during a US Department of War during a press briefing Friday on whether physically securing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles is a priority mission. (RELATED: Hegseth doesn’t rule out ground troops seizing Iranian uranium)
“We have said from the beginning that denying Iran’s nuclear weapons is an essential mission. We have, we maintain options across the spectrum to ensure that they never do, and President Trump has said that, and that’s why this mission could not have been possible without Midnight Hammer,” Hegseth responded.
The War Secretary said U.S. strikes on the B-2s destroyed key Iranian facilities and created the conditions for current operations, adding that Asset remains focused on eliminating Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Hegseth said the United States was keeping several options on the table after Tehran refused to give them up during negotiations.
Hegseth added that he “would never tell this group or the world what we are willing to do or how far we are willing to go, but we certainly have options.”
The caller contacted the Pentagon about the report, which said it did not discuss future or hypothetical movements due to operational security.
