US Plans Marine, Warship Deployment to Middle East Amid Rising Strait of Hormuz Tensions

Washington: The United States is preparing to deploy additional Marines and warships to the Middle East as tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz following reported Iranian attacks on maritime traffic and regional targets, according to media reports citing American officials.

Reports by Fox News indicate that the Pentagon plans to send the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli along with a Marine Amphibious Ready Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to the region.

The deployment is expected to include about 2,500 Marines and 2,500 sailors, according to a US defence official quoted in the report.

Currently stationed in Japan, the USS Tripoli could take one to two weeks to reach the Middle East and join American military assets already operating in the region.

The move comes amid growing concerns over maritime security as Iran has reportedly threatened shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz and carried out attacks on neighbouring Gulf states.

Meanwhile, a report by The New York Times said around 2,500 Marines aboard up to three warships are heading to the Middle East from the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing US forces already stationed there.

Once deployed, the additional troops will join more than 50,000 American personnel currently positioned across the region.

Officials have not revealed specific operational plans for the incoming forces. A spokesperson for the Pentagon declined to comment on the details of the deployment.

“Due to operational security, we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,” the spokesperson said.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors, linking the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea. Nearly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass through the narrow channel, making it vital for international energy trade.

US officials have also suggested that the United States Navy could escort commercial ships through the strait if attacks on merchant vessels intensify — a strategy previously used during tensions with Iran in the late 1980s.

With inputs from IANS