BlockBeats News, March 19th, according to Reuters, a U.S. official and three sources familiar with the matter said the Trump administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to bolster its military presence in the Middle East. The deployments could provide more options for Trump as he weighs expanding operations.
Sources said ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz could mean deploying U.S. ground forces along the Iranian coast. The Trump administration has also discussed deploying ground forces to Iran’s Harir Air Base and has also discussed sending troops to secure Iran’s high-enriched uranium reserves.
A White House official said, “No decision has been made to deploy ground forces at this time. The President is focused on achieving all the objectives of the ‘Maximum Pressure’ campaign.” Sources said the discussions about reinforcements are not limited to the Amphibious Ready Group with its embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit of about 2,000 Marines, which is due to arrive in the Middle East next week. However, one source noted that due to the USS Ford being sent to Greece for repairs following a fire, the U.S. will be short of that capacity.
