The Pentagon on Friday ordered Marines and amphibious warships toward the Middle East as tensions surge around the Strait of Hormuz and ill effects on global oil supply.
The deployment places a Marine rapid response force near the waterway as Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping escalate and U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets widen the conflict. The move gives commanders options for maritime security missions, evacuations, or limited operations without committing large ground forces.
“Due to operations security, we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,” a Defense Department official told Military.com on Friday.
Iran has responded to U.S. and Israeli strikes with its own missile and drone attacks targeting military installations and commercial vessels across the region. Several incidents occurred near shipping routes linked to the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears the conflict could spread deeper into international trade lanes.
Iran has also expanded attacks across the region as it seeks to increase pressure on the United States and its allies during the widening confrontation.
Marine expeditionary forces are frequently used in fast moving crises because they can remain offshore while giving commanders flexible response options if fighting spreads or evacuations become necessary. Amphibious forces allow the Pentagon to position them close to the conflict while avoiding the large troop deployments associated with a full-scale ground invasion.
Military.com reached out for comment to the Department of Defense, U.S. Central Command, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the State Department and congressional defense committees.
Marines Position for Possible Crisis Missions
U.S. officials said the deployment includes elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7). The force could include roughly 2,500 Marines along with additional sailors operating the amphibious ships that carry them.
Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) serve as the Marine Corps’ primary crisis response force. Each MEU typically includes an infantry battalion, an aviation element with helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft, and a logistics component capable of sustaining operations ashore.
The formations deploy aboard amphibious warships and can launch aircraft, landing craft and small boats to conduct evacuations, maritime security missions, raids and other limited combat operations.
Officials said positioning the Marines offshore would allow commanders to respond quickly to threats against commercial vessels, diplomatic facilities or civilians in the region.
The deployment also represents a shift in Marine force posture. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit normally operates in the western Pacific from bases in Okinawa, Japan, and deploys across the Indo-Pacific region.
Sending the unit toward the Middle East could temporarily reduce Marine amphibious presence in that theater while U.S. commanders reinforce forces closer to the escalating confrontation with Iran.
Hormuz Attacks Send Oil Markets Surging
Iran has increased attacks on commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply and a significant share of global liquefied natural gas exports.
Missile strikes, drone attacks and maritime harassment incidents have rattled tanker traffic moving through the chokepoint. Several vessels have reported damage while transiting the area, forcing shipping companies to reassess routes through one of the world’s most strategically sensitive energy corridors.
The disruptions have already shaken global energy markets. Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel as traders reacted to the risk of supply interruptions and sharply higher insurance premiums for ships operating near the strait.
Insurers have raised war-risk premiums and expanded high-risk zones for vessels entering parts of the Persian Gulf. Some shipping companies have slowed traffic or delayed voyages while governments discuss expanded naval patrols and escort missions to protect commercial vessels.
The strategic importance of the waterway has grown throughout the conflict because even short disruptions in tanker traffic can ripple through global energy markets and international shipping routes.
