Tensions rose across the Middle East last night amid reports of US troops invading Iran – whose leaders vowed to “rain down fire” on them in response.
The USS Tripoli caused a stir when it arrived in the region carrying 3,500 service personnel just days after the US presented a 15-point peace plan.
Iran yesterday accused him of publicly sending messages about talks as well as secretly planning a ground invasion.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliamentary speaker, said Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground in order to rain down fire on them… and permanently punish their regional allies.”
“Our firing continues. Our missiles are deployed. Our resolve and confidence have increased.”
He said the US peace plan, which Pakistan handed over to Iran last week, was “their wish”.
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The hardline Ghalibaf said: “The United States speaks of its aspirations, presented as a 15-point list to pursue through diplomacy what it failed to achieve in war.”
It came as a £200 million US spy plane was badly damaged in a drone and missile attack on Prince Sultan Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Photos emerged showing that the tail had been torn from the fuselage of an E-3 Sentry, one of six deployed there.
Twelve US service personnel were also injured in Friday’s attack.
It is believed that the sailors and Marines aboard the USS Tripoli – which also carries transport and attack aircraft – could be used in a “large-scale surge”.
Among them may be the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, usually based in Japan.
Ordered to the Middle East about two weeks ago, the unit specializes in intercepting enemy ships as well as capturing territory.
The USS Boxer, two other ships and another Marine expeditionary unit have also been ordered to the area from San Diego.
The Washington Post said the Pentagon has been preparing to deploy troops on the ground for “weeks.”
However, it quoted US officials as saying that the escalation was likely “to fall short of a full-scale invasion”.
Insiders said the infantry troops will support special operations forces, which reportedly includes an attack on Kharg Island in Tehran – the port through which 90 percent of Iran’s oil flows – and the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump would have to give the green light to any offensive – as he had previously ruled out the possibility of boots on the ground.
But the newspaper said plans were “advanced”.
Meanwhile, top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt were gathering in Pakistan yesterday for peace talks.
But there were some signs of progress as Israel and the US continued attacks on Iran – and Tehran responded by firing missiles and drones across the region.
Yesterday, the Defense Ministry said RAF Regiment gunners had shot down seven Iranian unilateral attack drones overnight Saturday.
UK Typhoons and F-35 jets flew defensive missions over Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, while Wildcats continued patrolling the eastern Mediterranean.
And it was revealed that almost 70 Britons – including expatriates, tourists and cabin crew – had been detained in the UAE for taking photographs of Iranian drone and missile attacks since the war began.
States including Dubai, hit by Iran’s attacks on Western targets, have launched heavy-handed action to protect their reputation on “national security” grounds.
And yesterday funerals were held for three Lebanese journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting their vehicle in Beirut.
Israel accused him of terrorism and ties to Hezbollah – a charge denied by Lebanese authorities.
Pictures also show the damage caused to the Iran University of Science and Technology after the airstrike.
This prompted Iran to declare all American and Israeli universities in the Middle East “legitimate targets” – and its Revolutionary Guard to warn locals to maintain a 1km distance from campuses.
The American University of Beirut has started online studies after the threat.
Yesterday, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen vowed to continue targeting Israel after firing two missiles on Saturday – which were intercepted.
The move marks the group’s first intervention in the war, and comes amid fears that the Houthis will disrupt trade on the Red Sea by blocking the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
It comes after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz shipping route – meaning blocking another would affect global trade.
The Royal Navy is planning to send a ship equipped with mine-hunting drones to the Strait of Hormuz, the Sunday Times revealed yesterday.
RFA Lyme Bay – an amphibious landing ship undergoing maintenance in Gibraltar – was being sent to the Mediterranean for training exercises.
Defense Secretary John Healey has reportedly agreed to send a 580-foot-long Bay-class ship to help clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is a major shipping route through which about a fifth of the world’s oil flows, although this was before the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
