The Pentagon is sending over 10,000 additional troops to West Asia in the coming days, according to a report by The Washington Post, which first reported the development.
The report said around 6,000 troops
are being deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush along with its accompanying warships, citing current and former US officials. Another 4,200 troops are expected to be sent with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is likely to reach the region by the end of the month, American officials told the newspaper.
These reinforcements will join an estimated 50,000 US personnel already involved in operations aimed at countering Iran, significantly expanding Washington’s military footprint in the region.
The deployment comes as US President Donald Trump attempts to pressure Iran into a deal that could end the conflict, now in its seventh week, while keeping the option of additional strikes or ground operations open if the fragile ceasefire fails to hold.
It also coincides with Trump’s broader strategy to squeeze Tehran economically through a US Navy blockade of Iranian ports, aimed at forcing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and curb its nuclear programme. Talks led by Vice President JD Vance with Iranian representatives headed by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Islamabad failed to produce a breakthrough, though Trump has indicated negotiations could resume.
The additional deployment will give US commanders access to three aircraft carriers in the region, each equipped with dozens of fighter jets, the report highlighted.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in West Asia since January, while the USS Gerald R. Ford moved into the eastern Mediterranean in February, extending a multi-theatre deployment that has included operations in Europe and earlier activity off Venezuela.
The USS George HW Bush, meanwhile, was near the Horn of Africa as of Tuesday and is expected to take a longer route around the southern tip of the continent before entering West Asia, according to officials familiar with the movement.
Separately, the three-ship Boxer Amphibious Ready Group departed Hawaii last week and is expected to reach the region in the coming weeks. Its embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit includes an infantry battalion of more than 800 personnel, supported by helicopters and naval landing craft, while a similar 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit has already been deployed from Okinawa.
US forces enforcing the blockade are also preparing for potential interdiction operations, with Navy SEALs, Marines and Coast Guard boarding teams trained to seize vessels suspected of aiding Iran, regardless of whether crews comply.
So far, however, the operation has remained limited in scope. In the first 24 hours, six merchant vessels were intercepted and redirected back to Iranian ports without incident, the US military said.
More than a dozen US Navy warships are now positioned across the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, forming a forward line to monitor and intercept vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
