US Deploys Marines, Warship to Mideast after Strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island
The US is sending thousands of Marines and the amphibious assault ship, USS Tripoli, to the Middle East as the war on Iran entered its third week.
The move follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement of massive strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, eliminating all military targets on the critical oil hub. He also threatened to hit oil infrastructure if Iran continues to disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Additional Marines to Mideast
The Pentagon is deploying additional Marines and warships to support military operations in the Middle East, reported several US media outlets.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which first reported the deployment, US Central Command (CENTCOM), requested an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit, which typically comprise several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors. Two officials told the WSJ that USS Tripoli and its attached Marines are on their way to the Middle East.
The deployment was confirmed by US officials to Axios, Reuters and the Associated Press (AP). The deployment will consist of 2,500 elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, several warships including the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, and F-35 fighter jets.
The Marine Expeditionary Unit can conduct ground operations as well as other missions including securing embassies, evacuating civilians, and disaster relief.
Tripoli Amphibious Assault Ship
The USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship (LHA-7) and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are based in Japan as part of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).
The Tripoli ARG also includes two companion ships: San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships USS New Orleans (LPD 18) and USS San Diego (LPD 22), which were spotted with Tripoli in the Philippine Sea earlier this week.
However, it remains unclear if the two companion ships will be deployed to the Middle East. Commercial satellite imagery showed Tripoli sailing alone near Taiwan, which means it is more than a week away from the waters off Iran.
The USS Tripoli carries the Marine Corps’ F-35B stealth fighters. In 2022, it successfully sailed with 19 F-35Bs on board at once, proving it could act like a “Lightning Carrier.”
Upon its arrival to the Middle East, USS Tripoli will join the Gerald R. Ford and Abraham Lincoln aircraft carriers and other destroyers operating in the region.
Kharg Island in Bull’s-Eye
On Friday, Trump said that the US military destroyed all military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island. Located 483 km northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, Kharg Island is a critical crude export hub, serving as a terminal for 90% of Iran’s oil shipments.
“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The US President said he decided not to destroy the oil infrastructure on the island, but suggested he could change his decision if traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained paralyzed.
“However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” he warned.
Furthermore, Trump said on Saturday that Iran “is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept!”
Iranian Red Line
Iran has issued stern warning regarding targeting its oil infrastructure, vowing strong retaliation that would engulf the entire region. On Thursday, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that attacks on Iranian islands would cause Iran to “abandon all restraint” and make the Arabian Gulf “run with the blood of invaders.”
Iran’s joint military command doubled down on this threat on Saturday, saying that US-linked oil and energy facilities in the region would be targets of strikes if Iranian oil infrastructure was hit.
The spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, warned that Iran will target “all oil, economic, and energy infrastructures belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or cooperate with America.”
