Pentagon Weighs Sending More Troops To Middle East

The Pentagon is considering sending more troops to the Middle East, a move that threatens to escalate the Iran war and violate President Donald Trump’s promise not to engage American servicemembers in long-term conflicts abroad.

The U.S. already has about 50,000 troops in the region, and any increase hints at the potential for more significant involvement, including sending servicemembers into Iran. The size and scope of additional deployments are still evolving, according to two people familiar with the talks. But the fact that discussions are happening at all is a significant step forward in a war Trump said three weeks ago was all but won.

The conversations are occurring as Iran’s attempts to block the Strait of Hormuz — where a fifth of the world’s oil passes through — have upended the global economy and U.S. allies rebuff Trump’s efforts to get involved. Additional troops would add to the Navy ships already heading to the region and the massive number of warships and aircraft that have pummeled Iran for weeks.

Trump on Thursday told reporters that he’s “not putting troops anywhere” and that if he were, “I certainly wouldn’t tell you. But I’m not putting troops.”

But the U.S.-Israel war shows no signs of abating. Iran continues with its counterattacks and has managed to largely shut down traffic on the strait. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Thursday that the day would bring “the largest strike package yet, just like yesterday was,” but gave no indication when the fighting would end. He also confirmed the Pentagon was weighing a $200 billion supplemental request to cover the costs of military action in Iran.

The three Navy ships packed with 2,200 Marines will arrive in the region as soon as next week from the Pacific, according to a defense official, who like others interviewed, was granted anonymity to discuss internal planning. This could give the White House the ability to push troops into one of several islands in the Persian Gulf to help protect commercial shipping in the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

The Marines could also be part of an operation to take Kharg Island, which is Iran’s main point for shipping oil and located further north. The U.S. hit 90 military targets on the island last week while leaving the oil infrastructure alone.

“We can knock out their oil in Kharg Island,” Trump said afterward. “The only thing we didn’t take down was the oil, because if we knock out, I call them the pipes, very complex, but if you do that, it will take them forever to rebuild.”

Reuters first reported the potential for more troops.

The White House referred questions to Trump’s previous comments about sending troops. The Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment.

The velocity, though, may be part of the point. The increasing strikes and troops “presents a significant messaging opportunity highlighting our commitment to the mission and presenting the [Iranian regime] with more situations with which they may have to contend,” said retired Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command under the first Trump administration.

“Marines can do a lot,” he added, including helping protect shipping in the region and providing more air defense and air strike capabilities with their F-35 aircraft.

The war has evolved in other ways.

What began with aircraft and ships launching missiles from hundreds of miles away has turned into a closer fight. Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine said Thursday that Army Apache attack helicopters "have joined the fight on the southern flank" — although he didn’t specify where — and are "striking against Iranian aligned militia groups" in Iraq.

Some U.S. allies in the region are also using the Apaches to shoot down Iranian drones, much like Ukrainian helicopters have done with Russian drones.

Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems based in the region have also fired precision missiles into Iran, a second defense official said. This includes Precision Strike Missiles used for the first time in combat to hit both ground-based targets and Iranian ships in port.

Gregory Svirnovskiy contributed to this report.