Washington: In response to Iranian attempts to seize commercial ships there, the US is sending more warships and thousands of marines to the Middle East to boost security.
According to US officials, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave his approval on Thursday for the deployment of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the USS Bataan amphibious readiness group to the Gulf region. Three ships make up the readiness group, including the amphibious assault ship Bataan. Normally, an expeditionary unit consists of 2,500 Marines.
The deployment will give the region "even greater flexibility and maritime capability," according to a statement from US Central Command. Under the condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements, US officials described the units involved in the deployment but did not name the ships in the announcement.
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The USS Carter Hall and the USS Mesa Verde are two additional warships in the group along with the Bataan. Early this month, the group left Norfolk, Virginia. On Thursday, it was uncertain if all three ships would head into the Gulf.
The move follows decisions made in recent weeks to send the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner and several F-35 and F-16 fighter jets to the area. In response to the Iranian activity, there have also been A-10 attack aircraft there for several weeks.
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Early this month, Iran attempted to board two oil tankers in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz and fired on one of them. In order to deter Iran, the fighter jets are meant to provide aerial protection for the commercial ships transiting the waterway and to make the military more visible nearby.
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The additional forces, according to Central Command commander Gen. Erik Kurilla, "provide unique capabilities, which, alongside our partner nations in the region, further safeguard the free flow of international commerce and uphold the rules-based international order, and deter Iranian destabilizing activities in the region."