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Thousands of U.S. servicemembers have deployed to the Middle East as the war with Iran enters its second month, underscoring the scale of the American military buildup in the region.
On Friday, roughly 3,500 Marines and sailors aboard the USS Tripoli — an amphibious assault ship — entered the U.S. Central Command’s “area of responsibility,” the military command announced on Saturday. CENTCOM oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East.
The vessel also carries transport aircraft, tactical assets as well as strike fighter jets. Photos posted by CENTCOM show soldiers wearing helmets, goggles and combat fatigues.
Since the war broke out in late February, the U.S. has built up a massive military presence near Iran, deploying thousands of Marines and warships to supplement the roughly 50,000 U.S. troops already stationed in the region. Last week, reports also indicated the Pentagon plans to dispatch at least 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.
While the U.S. has launched thousands of strikes on Iran, it remains unknown whether a ground offensive will be undertaken, with President Donald Trump sending mixed messages about the prospect.
On March 2, he dismissed qualms about a ground campaign, saying he doesn’t have “the yips” and that he’d dispatch U.S. servicemembers “if they were necessary.” On March 19, he told reporters: “I’m not putting troops anywhere.”
If the U.S. were to land troops on Iranian soil, it would mark the first major boots-on-the-ground campaign since the 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.
Trump has offered several justifications for the war, arguing that Iran posed an imminent threat while also citing regime change as a motivating factor. He’s also given no clear timeline for when the war will end. On March 13, he told Fox News that the conflict would conclude when “I feel it in my bones.” One week later, he wrote on Truth Social that he is considering “winding down” the offensive campaign.
The war — which began when the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28 — has engulfed large swaths of the Middle East in violence, with Tehran lobbing retaliatory strikes at numerous nearby nations, including Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Nearly 1,500 Iranian civilians have died, Human Rights Activists in Iran, a non-profit, said in a Friday report. Thirteen U.S. servicemembers have been killed, and over 200 have been injured, the Pentagon has said.
The deadly military campaign has also triggered fears of global economic upheaval as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery of international trade, has ground to a halt. As a result, oil prices have shot past the $100-a-barrel milestone.
Democrats have decried the war as illegal, reckless and a direct violation of Trump’s campaign promise to be the “candidate of peace.” Republicans, meanwhile, have largely stood in lockstep with the president, though some have privately voiced reservations.
Recent polls show that a majority of Americans are opposed to the war.
