3,500 US sailors and Marines arrive in the Middle East

The US amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, carrying 3,500 US sailors and Marines, has arrived in the Middle East, US Central Command announced in a post on X Saturday, as the Pentagon weighs next steps in the war with Iran.

“U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility, March 27,” CENTCOM said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States expected to conclude military operations within weeks, although the new deployment of US Marines started arriving in the region, reported Reuters.

CNN reported earlier this month that the Pentagon would be deploying a Marine Expeditionary Unit to the region.

Such units have traditionally been used for missions like large-scale evacuations and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, including raids and assaults. They also have a ground and aviation combat component and some units are trained for special operations.

One source familiar with the deployment previously told CNN that the MEU’s presence gives commanders additional options for a range of contingencies.