Thousands More Marines Headed To Middle East as Trump Considers Ground Operations in Iran

The US is deploying thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East amid reports that President Trump is considering launching ground operations in Iran as the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic continues to escalate.

US officials told Reuters on Friday that the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which consists of about 2,200 Marines, left California and is heading to the region aboard the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship. The Boxer’s Amphibious Ready Group consists of two other warships, the USS Comstock and the USS Portland, which are expected to join the deployment.

The 11th MEU will join the 31st MEU, which is still on its way to the Middle East, giving the US a significant amphibious force to launch attacks on Iran’s Persian Gulf islands. However, it’s unlikely that any US warships could make it through the Strait of Hormuz without coming under significant missile and drone attacks.