The Pentagon is deploying additional Marine forces and warships to the Middle East amid escalating Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing three US officials.
According to the report, the US defense secretary approved a request from US Central Command to send the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, normally stationed in Japan, to the region. The force includes about 2,200 Marines aboard three amphibious assault ships led by the USS Tripoli.
ABC News reported that the unit also includes a squadron of F-35 fighter jets and a squadron of V-22 Osprey aircraft. A US defense official confirmed the deployment to Fox News and estimated that the force would reach the region within about two weeks.
According to ABC, the deployment is not necessarily intended for a ground operation in Iran. Instead, it provides commanders with ground, amphibious and air capabilities. The move could signal that Washington wants to prepare for the possibility that the administration might decide on a ground operation aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping traffic through the strait, which normally carries about 20 percent of the world's oil supply, remains heavily disrupted. At least 16 vessels have been attacked in the area since the beginning of the operation.
The commander of the naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, declared that any ship seeking to pass through the strait must obtain permission from Iran. On Thursday, Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said in his first statement since taking power that the strait would remain closed as a "pressure tool."
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing Friday, the war secretary said that "the only thing preventing passage through the strait is that Iran is firing on ships." He added that the US "will not allow Iran to continue threatening transit there" and rejected reports that Iran had planted naval mines in the strait, saying there was "no clear evidence" of such activity.
Meanwhile, some countries are not waiting for a US move such as escorting tankers or other action to reopen the waterway and are instead negotiating directly with Iran to secure safe passage for their vessels.
Reuters reported Friday that Tehran had granted two Indian-flagged gas tankers permission to pass through the strait. Turkey's transportation minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said that one Turkish vessel out of 15 waiting in the area had received approval to pass after diplomatic contacts between Ankara and Tehran.
The Financial Times reported Friday that France and Italy have also opened talks with Tehran in an effort to secure safe passage for their ships in the strait. The report, citing three Western officials, said the contacts were preliminary and there was no guarantee Iran would cooperate.
The move reflects growing criticism in Europe of the regional war and concerns that a spike in energy prices could worsen the continent's economic and energy difficulties.
