The Pentagon is considering sending more troops to the Middle East, a move that threatens to escalate the Iran war and violates President Donald Trump’s promise not to involve US troops in long-term conflicts abroad.
The US already has about 50,000 troops in the region, and any increase signals the possibility of more significant involvement, including sending military members to Iran. The size and scope of the additional deployment is still developing, according to two people familiar with the talks. But the fact that discussions are taking place is an important step toward a war that Trump said three weeks ago was almost won.
The talks come as Iran’s efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz – through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes – have hit the global economy and US allies have rejected Trump’s efforts to get involved. The additional troops will join Navy ships already heading to the area and the massive numbers of warships and aircraft that have been striking Iran for several weeks.
Trump told reporters Thursday that he was “not putting the military anywhere” and that if he did, “I certainly wouldn’t tell you. But I’m not putting the military.”
But the US-Israel war shows no signs of abating. Iran has continued its retaliatory attacks and succeeded in causing a large-scale shutdown of traffic across the strait. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Thursday that the day would bring “the largest strike package ever, just like yesterday,” but he gave no indication when the fighting would end. He also confirmed that the Pentagon is considering a $200 billion supplemental request to cover the cost of military action in Iran.
Three Navy ships loaded with 2,200 Marines will arrive in the region from the Pacific next week, according to a defense official who, like others interviewed, was granted anonymity to discuss internal planning. That could give the White House the ability to send troops to one of the Persian Gulf’s many islands to help protect commercial shipping in the narrow Strait of Hormuz.
The Marines could also be part of a campaign to capture Kharg Island, a key oil shipping point for Iran and located to the north. The US last week targeted 90 military targets on the island, while leaving oil infrastructure alone.
Trump later said, “We can destroy their oil at Kharg Island.” “The only thing we didn’t remove was the oil, because if we destroy, I call them pipes, very complex, but if you do that, it will take a lot of time to rebuild them.”
Reuters first reported the possibility of more troops.
The White House questioned Trump’s previous comments about sending troops. The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment.
However, velocity may be part of the point. “The escalating strikes and troops present an important messaging opportunity to highlight our commitment to the mission and to present (the Iranian regime) with more conditions,” said retired Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command under the first Trump administration.
“The Marines can do a lot,” he said, including helping protect shipping in the region and providing greater air defense and air strike capabilities with their F-35 aircraft.
War has evolved in other ways.
What started as aircraft and ships firing missiles from hundreds of miles away has now turned into a close-quarters battle. Gen. Dan Kane, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said Thursday that Army Apache attack helicopters “have joined the fight on the southern flank” — though he did not specify where — and are conducting “strikes against Iranian-aligned militia groups” in Iraq.
Some US allies in the region are also using Apaches to shoot down Iranian drones, similar to what Ukrainian helicopters have done with Russian drones.
A second defense official said the army’s high mobility artillery rocket systems based in the area also fired precision missiles at Iran. It includes precision strike missiles used for the first time in combat to hit both ground targets and Iranian ships in port.
Gregory Swirnowski contributed to this report.
