The United States plans to deploy additional troops to the Middle East in the near future to strengthen its military presence in the region amid a possible continuation of the fighting with Iran, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
According to US officials cited by the report, the deployment includes a carrier strike group with approximately 6,000 personnel aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, alongside roughly 4,200 Marines with an amphibious ready group of Naval infantry, which is expected to arrive later this month.
The deployment of troops overlaps with a US maritime blockade targeting the Iranian ports and the Strait of Hormuz, one of several efforts to push Tehran from an economic perspective and corner it to concede on its nuclear program during negotiations.
US intercepts tenth Iranian vessel amid Strait of Hormuz blockade
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday that an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel was intercepted after departing Bandar Abbas and transiting the Strait of Hormuz while attempting to evade a US maritime blockade.
CENTCOM said ten vessels have been turned back so far, with none breaching the blockade since it was established on Monday.
A report by the tracking company TankerTrackers contradicted CENTCOM's claims, saying that satellite imagery shows several other tankers have bypassed the blockade of Iranian ports and are now in Iranian waters, including an Iranian-flagged tanker.
In addition, ships en route to Iraq were reported to have sailed with AIS systems turned off to conceal their movements.