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In addition to Marines and paratroopers, other members of the US Armed Forces have also received orders to relocate to the Middle East.
Thousands of US Marines have arrived in the Middle East. Thousands of paratroopers and Marines from California are also on the way. The Pentagon is preparing for scenarios of a ground intervention in Iran, in order to offer options to President Donald Trump.
US commandos, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, have not yet been assigned specific tasks, officials told the New York Times.
However, these units constitute specialized ground forces and could be deployed for operations aimed at protecting the Strait of Hormuz. They could also be used in a mission to seize control of Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub in the northern Persian Gulf. Alternatively, they could engage in operations targeting Iran's enriched uranium reserves.
These forces join 2,500 Marines and 2,500 sailors who recently arrived in the region. In total, there are now more than 50,000 US troops in the Middle East, about 10,000 more than usual, as Donald Trump decides on the next steps in the conflict.
It is not yet clear what the exact tasks of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa, which arrived in the region last Saturday, will be. US officials say the president is considering ways to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open.
Over 50,000 troops in the Middle East
Typically, about 40,000 American troops are stationed at bases and ships in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. According to a US military official, that number has now exceeded 50,000, as the US president escalates the confrontation with the Iranian regime.
That figure does not include the 4,500 sailors and soldiers aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, which has been damaged by several incidents, including a fire in its laundry facilities. The ship left the region on March 23 and headed for Crete. It arrived in Croatia on Friday, but its next destination remains unclear.
Last week, the Pentagon also ordered the deployment of about 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, to provide the president with more military options.
The location of these paratroopers has not been made public, according to a military official. However, they are within range that would allow them to launch attacks on Iran.
Paratroopers could also be used on Kharg Island, where US warplanes bombed more than 90 military targets earlier this month. They could also engage in other ground operations in cooperation with the Marines.
250,000 soldiers deployed in Iraq
However, military experts warn that even 50,000 troops, many of whom are at sea, are a small number for any major ground operation against Iran. Israel deployed over 300,000 soldiers for its operations in the Gaza Strip that began in October 2023. Meanwhile, the US-led coalition in the 2003 invasion of Iraq had almost 250,000 troops at the start of ground operations.
Iran has a population of about 93 million. According to experts, invading, let alone maintaining control of, a country of this size and complexity is not feasible with just 50,000 troops.
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