US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is extending the deployment of American troops in the Middle East into 2027, according to a report by The Wall Street
Journal. The move is part of an open-ended military strategy that would give US President Donald Trump more options in the war with Iran. According to the report, Trump's options now include increasing economic pressure on Iran, carrying out tit-for-tat strikes and potentially widening the conflict. What Hegseth had initially presented as a short and decisive military campaign against Iran has grown significantly, the report said. The US now has around 50,000 troops, 19 warships, fighter squadrons, air defence units and paratroopers in the Middle East. Citing people familiar with the matter, the news outlet reported that warship crews, air defence units and paratroopers are being ordered to remain in the region longer than originally expected. The deployment of Army air defence units has been extended from nine to 12 months, while some units sent to the Middle East from Europe and the Pacific have already been in the region for more than a year. The longer deployments are putting increasing pressure on US troops, their families and military equipment. The US Navy is also facing similar pressure. There are currently 19 US warships in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers and 13 guided-missile destroyers. Two destroyers, the USS Delbert D. Black and USS Spruance, were sent to the region at the start of the war and are now helping enforce the blockade. The ships, each carrying around 300 personnel, have been spending several months at sea instead of taking regular breaks.
Trump Shifts Focus To Economic Pressure
The Trump administration is now shifting towards a tougher economic pressure campaign against Iran, seeking to force its leadership back to the negotiating table.
Trump has privately discussed with senior aides the possibility of declaring the Iran war over, believing that economic pressure could force Tehran to dismantle its nuclear programme.
"I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?" Trump wrote on social media.
Trump's aides are also concerned that a wider war could hurt Republican candidates in the November midterm elections, according to the report. Trump, however, has said he is not considering electoral outcomes when making decisions about the war.
Despite the strain on US forces, Trump warned on Wednesday that the US remains ready to launch more attacks on Iran "anytime we want".
"We're taking out a lot of ships; they can't see them because they have no radar because we blew it up," Trump said, adding that the US was prepared to launch further attacks "anytime we want."
Trump also highlighted America's surveillance capabilities, saying, "We saw that they were building it. We see everything that they're doing. They can't move. They can't go to the bathroom without us seeing it. So we saw that. We took it out. We took out some other things..."
Alongside military action, Washington has also vowed to put further pressure on Iran's economy and threatened sanctions against countries that continue trading with Tehran.
