The Pentagon is preparing for the possibility of a ground invasion in Iran, moving a Marine Expeditionary Unit toward the Middle East as Trump’s war grows out of control.
(NewsNation) — The Pentagon is reportedly sending a unit that includes as many as three warships and up to 2,500 Marines to the Middle East as the conflict with Iran continues.
The USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is usually stationed in Japan and operates in the Indo-Pacific region, but is being moved to the region as Iran increases attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal.
In addition to 5,000 Marines and sailors, the unit also includes F-35B Lightning II jets and MV-22B Ospreys, which can be used for troop insertions.
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The unit will join more than 50,000 troops already in the region and will take roughly two weeks to reach the area.
The additional troops and warships do not necessarily mean the Pentagon is planning to put boots on the ground, but does make a larger force available should a ground invasion be ordered. The Trump administration has not ruled out the possibility of ground troops in the conflict.
The Trump administration has also suggested Navy ships could be used to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz to protect them from attack.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil moves through the strait and a pause in activity has contributed to a spike in oil prices around the globe.
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