More than 3,500 US troops arrive in Middle East as Iran military strikes intensify

More than 3,500 US troops, including the USS Tripoli with nearly 2,500 troops, have arrived in the Middle East, officials announced Saturday, as the strikes The war in Iran it got stronger.

The US Central Command wrote on social media that the USS Tripoli, which serves as the commander of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, has arrived at its location.

This is it very new of amphibious warships, known as the “big stack,” which allows for more space for F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets, Ospreys and other aircraft. The ship was previously based in Japan when the order to be sent to the Middle East arrived about two weeks ago.

The Central Command said that in addition to the Marines, Tripoli is also bringing fighter jets and transports, as well as attack equipment to the area. The USS Boxer and two other ships, along with another Marine Expeditionary Unit, have also been ordered to the region from San Diego.

More than 11,000 targets have been attacked since Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, CENTCOM said Saturday in a fact sheet.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the United States can meet its goals “without troops on the ground.” But he also said that President Trump “must be prepared for many contingencies” and that US forces are available “to give the president a high degree of choice and size, the opportunity to adapt to emergencies if they occur.”

The arrival of US troops in the region comes after at least 10 US soldiers, including two seriously injured, when Iran fired six missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan airport.

The war that continues to intensify even though the reports that Mr. Trump wants a deal, it has increased air travel around the world, disrupted oil exports and caused the price of fuel to rise. Iran’s hold on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway, has fueled the economic collapse.

On Saturday, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had entered the month-long war by demanding missile launches that Israel said it had intercepted.

The entry of the Houthis could seriously damage global shipping if they reroute ships through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait along the Red Sea. If i The Houthis increasing attacks on commercial ships, as they have done in the past, will increase oil prices and disrupt “all security at sea,” said Ahmed Nagi, senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group. “The impact will not be limited to the energy market.”

Countries have sought alternative routes to the Strait of Hormuz. Bab el-Mandeb, on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is important for ships to the Suez Canal through the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia has been sending millions of barrels of crude oil a day through it because the Strait of Hormuz has been successfully closed.

About 12 percent of the world’s trade normally passes through the Bab el-Mandeb and about 10 percent of the world’s maritime trade – including 40% of container ship traffic – passes through the Suez Canal each year.

The Houthi rebels you are attacked more than 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones, sinking two ships, between November 2023 and January 2025, saying they were attacking Palestinians in Gaza during the war between Israel and Hamas.

The involvement of the Houthis will also challenge the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier that arrived in Croatia on Saturday for repairs. Sending the carrier to the Red Sea could draw attacks similar to those experienced by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and the USS Harry S. Truman in 2025.

The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014. Saudi Arabia launched a war against the Houthis on behalf of the ousted Yemeni government in 2015, and the rebels are not participating in the current conflict due to their cessation of hostilities with Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Trump has given Iran until April 6 open again the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says it has not entered into any negotiations.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington had submitted a 15-point “action list” to Iran to end the war, with proposals to limit Iran’s nuclear program – an issue at the heart of tensions between the US and Israel – and reopen the border. Tehran rejected the proposal and presented a five-point proposal that included the restoration and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway.