Pentagon evaluates sending 10,000 more troops to Middle East
U.S. military weighs additional ground forces deployment to pressure Iran on Strait of Hormuz as war enters fourth week.
11:57 AM
The Pentagon is evaluating the deployment of an additional 10,000 ground troops to the Middle East to provide President Donald Trump with expanded military options to pressure Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reducing hostilities in the conflict, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime route through which approximately 20 percent of globally traded petroleum passes. The war is set to complete one month on Saturday.
Trump has delayed, for a second time, his deadline for attacking Iran's electrical sector, citing "very good" conversations with Tehran. If deployed, the new troops would be added to approximately 5,000 Marines and thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who have already received orders to move to the region.
The specific locations where military forces would be mobilized in the Middle East remain undetermined, though the Wall Street Journal reported it is likely they would be positioned at distances permitting strikes against Iran and Kharg Island, a significant petroleum export hub.
The Pentagon is also considering redirecting military equipment originally designated for Ukraine toward the Middle East, according to The Washington Post. The potential reallocation reflects the strain the Iran conflict is placing on U.S. military capabilities and the broader global strategic balance.
Among the resources under consideration for redirection are air defense interceptor missiles acquired through a NATO initiative launched last year, under which allied nations purchase U.S. weaponry intended for Kyiv. The possible reassignment responds to the intensification of Washington's military operations in the Gulf region, where the conflict with Tehran has been escalating steadily.
The Pentagon has not yet made a definitive decision on the equipment reorientation. The U.S. Central Command has struck more than 9,000 targets in less than four weeks of combat, according to officials familiar with the matter. The potential diversion of critical ammunition supplies underscores the growing resource demands required to sustain the U.S. war effort against Iran.