Pentagon orders 2,500 troops, 3 warships from California to the Middle East
WASHINGTON— The Pentagon reportedly sent Three warships based in California and approximately 2,500 Marines were sent to the Middle East; This was the second major deployment in a week.
The three warships are part of the USS Boxer amphibious ready group based in San Diego. The Marines are from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Pendleton. The deployments were reported Friday by The Associated Press, citing Pentagon sources.
A 2,500-man Marine unit escorted by the battleship USS Tripoli was launched from Japan on Saturday.
The biggest reinforcements arrive as the economic shockwaves of war are felt around the world, as Washington tries to secure vital shipping lanes and deter further attacks on energy infrastructure around the Persian Gulf.
President Trump has continued to pressure allies to join his proposed coalition to patrol the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply passes. So far, Europe, Japan, China and Australia have refused to heed the call.
On Thursday, Trump said Iran was “close to collapse” but that securing the Strait of Hormuz was still a challenge. He claimed that the United States was trying to secure the strait not for its own oil needs, but “to be nice” to other countries in the region that are much more dependent on oil than the United States.
“They complain about the high oil prices they have to pay, but they don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which is a simple military maneuver that is the only reason for high oil prices. It’s very easy for them to do it, with very little risk. COWARDS, AND WE WILL NOT FORGET!” Trump wrote Friday at Truth Social.
Iran has continued its sweeping attacks on energy facilities in the Middle East in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on Wednesday on Iran’s South Pars field, the world’s largest natural gas field. The fallout plunged Gulf countries into war amid the largest energy supply disruption in history.
Shah of Iran drones Kuwait’s largest oil refinery was attacked on Friday. Similar attacks triggered fires in the Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, causing energy products to grind to a halt in the world’s largest natural gas hub. The repair is expected to take years.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates’ air defense systems were countering Iran’s missiles overnight, and Saudi Arabia said it could respond with force if Iran continued to attack facilities in the kingdom.
Israel said Friday that it killed senior intelligence official and deputy commander Esmail Ahmadi in an airstrike in Iran’s Basij city. Authorities described Ahmadi as “one of the most important pillars” of the Basij volunteer paramilitary force.
Even as Israel launched daily decapitation airstrikes on Tehran and the United States deployed renewed forces at its front door, the Islamic Republic did not hesitate.
Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said American and Israeli officials could be targeted around the world.
“From now on, based on the information we have, even entertainment and tourist attractions around the world will not be safe for you,” Shekarchi said.
Oil prices rose above $100 a barrel and found choppy new ground amid the chaos.
Financial markets reacted to this situation with sustained losses. Wall Street fell for a fourth consecutive week as investors increasingly priced in the risk that higher energy costs could slow economic growth and reignite inflation. Analysts warn that persistently rising crude oil prices will likely squeeze company margins and put pressure on consumer spending in the U.S. and beyond.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that the conflict could also raise inflation. The Federal Reserve now faces renewed uncertainty as it decides whether to keep interest rates higher for longer in response to rising energy costs.
At a White House event on Friday, Trump claimed the US military operation against Iran was “going extremely well.”
“The difference between them and us is, two weeks ago they had a navy and now they don’t have a navy. Everything is at the bottom of the sea,” Trump said. “Fifty-eight ships were shot down in two days and we have the largest navy in the world. It’s not even close.”
The President did not accept the questions of the journalists in the hall. But in unexpected remarks, he said the US and Iran were not entering into negotiations because their leaders were “all gone”, raising uncertainty about the strategy for exiting the war.
“We are having a hard time, we want to talk to them, but there is no one to talk to,” he said. “We have no one to talk to, and you know what? We like it that way.”
