The United States military dispatched its 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli toward the Middle East shortly after President Donald Trump said American forces had struck military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island.
Although the deployment does not necessarily signal preparations for a ground invasion, it marks a potential escalation in the US-Israel war on Iran.
The deployment order is to counter Tehran's attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that have effectively paralysed global energy transit, multiple American outlets including CNN and the defence publication US Naval Institute reported.
The new deployment comes as the US Central Command requested additional forces because “part of the plan in this war was to have marines available to provide options for use,” according to some reports.
Trump earlier on Saturday (India time) warned that Tehran’s oil facilities could become the next targets if Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz closed — a disruption that has already rattled global energy markets and threatened one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.
The deployment of the new unit has sparked buzz about US launching ground strikes on Iran.
Marine expeditionary units are built as quick-reaction forces capable of amphibious assaults, but they are more frequently used for crisis response missions such as embassy security, evacuating civilians and humanitarian relief.
Similar deployments have been used during regional emergencies, including evacuations during the 2006 Lebanon conflict and other sudden security crises involving US diplomatic facilities.
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Tripoli — along with other amphibious ships that typically carry the marines — are forward-based in Japan and had already been operating in the western Pacific in recent days, according to images released by the US military.
Commercial satellite tracking also showed the Tripoli, which can operate short-takeoff fighter jets and helicopters, sailing near Taiwan. At that distance, analysts say the vessel would still need more than a week to reach waters near Iran if redirected toward the Gulf.
The US has a long history of sending marine expeditionary units for deterrence and crisis response in the Middle East, most notably during its involvement in the Gulf War (1990–91), where marines defended Saudi oil facilities from Iraqi threats.
During the Lebanon crisis in 1958, nearly 15,000 marines were deployed to Beirut to restore stability.
In 2023, the US military dispatched its 26th MEU with USS Bataan and other warships in response to seizures of oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz by the IRGC.